Quote of the Day by Nelson Mandela: 'I learned that courage was not the absence of fear...'

Quote of the Day by Nelson Mandela is "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." The iconic quote from "Mandela" (1994) signifies his extraordinary bravery. The powerful line underlines the resilience in the face of adversity. Through this quote, Mandela exhorts us to face the challenges and overcome the struggle with determination and courage.

Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to multi-racial democracy, as an icon of peace and reconciliation who came to embody the struggle for justice around the world. Imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against white minority rule, Mandela emerged determined to use his prestige and charisma to bring down apartheid while avoiding a civil war.

In 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor he shared with F.W. de Klerk, the white Afrikaner leader who freed him from prison three years earlier and negotiated the end of apartheid. Mandela went on to play a prominent role on the world stage as an advocate of human dignity in the face of challenges ranging from political repression to AIDS.


He formally left public life in June 2004 before his 86th birthday, telling his adoring countrymen: "Don't call me. I'll call you". But he remained one of the world's most revered public figures, combining celebrity sparkle with an unwavering message of freedom, respect and human rights. Whether defending himself at his own treason trial in 1963 or addressing world leaders years later as a greying elder statesman, he radiated an image of moral rectitude expressed in measured tones, often leavened by a mischievous humor.

Mandela's years behind bars made him the world's most celebrated political prisoner and a leader of mythic stature for millions of black South Africans and other oppressed people far beyond his country's borders. Charged with capital offences in the 1963 Rivonia Trial, his statement from the dock was his political testimony.

On July 18, 1918, Mandela was born Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela near Qunu, in Transkei (now Eastern Cape), the youngest son of a counselor to the chief of his Thembu clan.

In 1944, Mandela founded African National Congress (ANC) Youth League with Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu.