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

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.

The suffering inflicted, and more often than not on the most vulnerable sectors of society, demeans all of us as humanity. That it is invariably women, children, the aged and disabled who suffer in these conflicts stands to the added shame of humankind.

I have retired, but if there's anything that would kill me it is to wake up in the morning not knowing what to do.

My respect for human beings is based not on the colour of a man’s skin nor authority he may wield, but purely on merit.

Of course we desire education and we think it is a good thing, but you don't have to have education in order to know that you want certain fundamental rights, you have got aspirations, you have got acclaims. It has nothing to do with education whatsoever.

But the hard facts were that fifty years of non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more and more repressive legislation, and fewer and fewer rights.