I was generally busy from 7 A.M. until midnight. I never had time to sit and think. As I worked, physical and mental fatigue set in and I was unable to operate to the maximum of my intellectual ability. But in a single cell in prison, I had time to think. I had a clear view of my past and present, and I found that my past left much to be desired, both in regard to my relations with other humans and in developing personal worth.

Education has become a very powerful weapon in the struggle to produce a well-developed person.

A new society cannot be created by reproducing the repugnant past, however refined or enticingly repackaged.

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

Rhetoric is not important. Actions are.

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

Honour belongs to those who never forsake the truth even when things seem dark and grim, who try over and over again, who are never discouraged by insults, humiliation and even defeat.