No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

The world is truly round and seems to start and end with those we love.

A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow mindedness.

Before I went to jail, I was active in politics as a member of South Africa's leading organization - and I was generally busy from 7 A.M. until midnight. I never had time to sit and think.

South Africans must recall the terrible past so that we can deal with it, forgiving where forgiveness is necessary but never forgetting.

[I] read Anne Frank's diary [while imprisoned] on Robben Island and derived much encouragement from it.