Like all Xhosa children, I acquired knowledge mainly through observation. We were meant to learn through imitation and emulation, not through questions. When I first visited the homes of whites, I was often dumbfounded by the number and nature of questions that children asked of their parents-and their parents' unfailing willingness to answer them. In my household, questions were considered a nuisance; adults imparted information as they considered necessary.

As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.

Sometimes, I feel like one who is on the sidelines, who has missed life itself.

There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship.

One of the most difficult things is not to change society - but to change yourself.

The time is always right to do right

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