Significance of the Life We Lead

"It always seems impossible until it's done.

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

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.


May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

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.

And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.

Sometimes, it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.

Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return.

What counts is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you have altered.

When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw. 

Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.

I never lose. I either win or learn. 

No single person can liberate a country. You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective.

Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely day dreaming, but vision with action can change the world.


If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important, and you do that by being genuine and humble.

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

When people are determined they can overcome anything.

Forget the past.

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

People respond in accordance to how you treat them.

We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.”



Nelson Mandela