It dawned on me then that you either had to survive apartheid, or you had to perish with it. And I decided to survive.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the harsh reality of surviving oppression and the determination to endure despite challenges.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's quote highlights the critical choice one faces in the face of systemic injustice, specifically apartheid. It underscores the importance of resilience and the will to persevere against overwhelming odds, emphasizing that survival is not just a biological necessity but also a moral and existential decision to oppose oppression.
In practice
This quote can inspire those in marginalized communities to stand up against injustice.
In the normal course of things, journalists want their story, and as soon as they are through with it, they pack their cameras and go. That was never the impression that David Astor gave when you were interviewed by him. It was far deeper than that.
One of the greatest things I fear is letting down my people. I wouldn't live with that type of conscience, of having let down my people after they've been brutalized for so long.
I wanted to be a doctor at some point, and I was always bringing home strays from school: people who were too poor to pay fees or have food. My parents never rebuked me or told me that they were hard-pressed, too.
We shall liberate our country.
I learned to deal with the police... to be tough... to survive.
I am not sorry. I will never be sorry. I would do everything I did again if I had to. Everything.
There is no such thing as defeat in non-violence.
The next time you encounter fear, consider yourself lucky. This is where the courage comes in. Usually we think that brave people have no fear. The truth is that they are intimate with fear. When I was first married, my husband said I was one of the bravest people he knew. When I asked him why, he said because I was a complete coward but went ahead and did things anyhow.
I'm standing on a field full of landmines doing the moonwalk hoping i blow up in time
Friends, to me for years St. Louis represented a city of fear... humiliation... misery and terror... A city where in the eyes of the white man a Negro should know his place and had better stay in it.
I have friends who've tried suicide many times and haven't succeeded. I myself made an attempt, so I had a connection with that sort of group of people who have tried suicide at one time in their lives.
My father always says that heroism is in the Pashtun DNA.
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