That was one of the things that worried me – to be raised to the position of a semi-god – because then you are no longer a human being. I wanted to be known as Mandela, a man with weaknesses, some of which are fundamental, and a man who is committed, but never the less, sometimes he fails to live up to expectations.

You know you are really famous the day you discover you have become a comic character!

I would like it to be said: here lies a man who has done his duty on earth

Teach the children that Africans are not one iota inferior to Europeans.

If you don’t intend having a compromise, you don’t negotiate at all.

To a freedom fighter hope is what a lifebelt is to a swimmer - a guarantee that one will keep afloat and free from danger.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.