We owe our children β the most vulnerable citizens in any society β a life free from violence and fear.
Nelson MandelaRead
To be the father of a nation is a great honor, but to be the father of a family is a greater joy.
Interpretation
Being a father to a family brings more joy than being a leader of a nation.
This quote by Nelson Mandela emphasizes the profound emotional fulfillment that comes from personal relationships, particularly within a family, compared to the honor of leading a nation. It suggests that the intimate bonds and responsibilities of fatherhood provide a unique and deeper sense of joy and satisfaction than public acclaim or power.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of family during a community celebration.
We owe our children β the most vulnerable citizens in any society β a life free from violence and fear.
What freedom am I being offered while the organization of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.
The past is a rich resource on which we can draw in order to make decisions for the future, but it does not dictate our choices. We should look back at the past and select what is good, and leave behind what is bad.
We signal that good can be achieved amongst human beings who are prepared to trust, prepared to believe in the goodness of people.
After one has been in prison, it is the small things that one appreciates: being able to take a walk whenever one wants, going into a shop and buying a newspaper, speaking or choosing to remain silent. The simple act of being able to control one's person.
I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses.
Everyone has some dysfunction in their families. They have to deal with it. You don't walk away if you love someone. You help the person.
With my family, I'm trying to raise them to have respect for all people and make friends around the world and feel at home with the world and really live a truly global life because I think it's what forms them and it's really important to me.
My father died when I was 7. I was his favorite child, and he was my beloved father. I brought him along with me all through my life. Every elderly man has a bit of my father in him for me.
There are just so many stories that are buried on family trees.
I think when you become a parent you go from being a star in the movie of your own life to the supporting player in the movie of someone else's.
A Message to Children Who Have Read This Book - When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important: a stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.