Any man or institution that tries to rob me of my dignity will lose.

I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.

The private sector granted bursaries [scholarships] for the children of their workers. Some of them built homes for their workers. They had in-service training, which improved the skills of their workers. So that spirit was there. All we did was merely exploit it.

Be a life long student, read as many books as possible.

With freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk has not ended yet.

Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize encapsulates. Let the strivings of us all, prove Martin Luther King Jr. to have been correct, when he said that humanity can no longer be tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war.

The curious beauty about African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad story.