No problem is so deep that it cannot be overcome, given the will of all parties, through discussion and negotiation rather than force and violence.

I have never regarded any man as my superior, either in my life outside or inside prison.

Hating clouds the mind. It gets in the way of strategy. Leaders cannot afford to hate

I went as an observer, not a participant, for I do not think that I ever spoke. I wanted to understand the issues under discussion, evaluate the arguments, see the calibre of the men involved.

In some ways, I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. A leader must also tend his garden; he, too, plants seeds, and then watches, cultivates, and harvests the results. Like the gardener, a leader must take responsibility for what he cultivates; he must mind his work, try to repel enemies, preserve what can be preserved, and eliminate what cannot succeed.

Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished

The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices - submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future, and our freedom