Nelson Mandela spent 27 years imprisoned and emerged not with bitterness but with a vision for a united South Africa. His words carry the gravity of everything he endured and everything he chose to forgive.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.
I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun.