“Where you stand depends on where you sit.”

Nothing is black or white.

The impression that you are a demigod worried me. I wanted to be like an ordinary human being with virtues and vices.

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.

It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both pleasant and unpleasant experiences.

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.

Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.

The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is inspiring others to move beyond it.

There is nothing more important in life than giving. Tolerance is forged when people look beyond their own desires.

No problem is so deep that it cannot be overcome, given the will of all parties, through discussion and negotiation rather than force and violence.

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

Blaming things on the past does not make them better.

Rhetoric is not important. Actions are.

A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

You are not rich until you have a rich heart.

Once a gentleman, and always a gentleman.

It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment.

If you point out that they’re walking in shit they scream it’s you that have dirty feet.

If your humanity is dead, you need a lot of morality. If your humanity is alive and overflowing, you will naturally do the best for yourself and everyone around you.

The characteristic feature of all ethics is to consider human life as a game that can be won or lost and to teach man the means of winning.

A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

He no longer acts from self but does what is right – what is universally and eternally right.