- By Bornika Das
- Fri, 18 Jul 2025 11:41 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Nelson Mandela Day 2025: Nelson Mandela International Day 2025 falls on July 18 and honours the remarkable legacy of the South African leader, Nelson Mandela. The day marks the birth anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, one of the most influential leaders in modern history, who was born on July 18, 1918. Widely regarded as the father of democratic South Africa, Mandela led a peaceful and resilient protest against the oppressive apartheid regime, which reflected South Africa’s brave movement against colour bias and injustice. Nelson Mandela was a great activist and became South Africa’s first democratically elected president. Nelson Mandela Day was formally declared by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2009, with the inaugural celebration taking place on July 18, 2010. The resolution was inspired by a global campaign launched by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to recognise Mandela's contribution to peace, freedom and social justice.
Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial segregation in the country. After his release in 1990, he led the peaceful transition to democracy and was elected the country's first Black president in 1994. His leadership was characterised by reconciliation, human rights and commitment to unity. On Nelson Mandela Day 2025, it is time to revisit some of Nelson Mandela's inspirational quotes on life, success and freedom that still hold significance in today’s world.
Nelson Mandela Day 2025: Inspiring Quotes By Nelson Mandela On Life, Success And Freedom
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
“It always seems impossible until it's done.”
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
“One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen.”
“What counts in life 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.”
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
“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.”
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
"I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
“Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.”
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's First Democratically Elected President (Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons)
“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 good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
“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.”
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
ALSO READ: Nelson Mandela's Top 10 Motivational Quotes That Will Leave Long-Lasting Impact On You
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
“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.”
“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.”
“ As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
