Religion beliefs - Mandela was raised Christian and is thought to have been a Methodist
Early life - He was the first member of the family that attended school
His name - “Mandela”, was the name of his grandfather, and his name, “Nelson”, was given to him by his teacher at the age of 7
Relationships - He was married three times, fathered six children, and had seventeen grandchildren and at least seventeen great-grandchildren.
Inventive while hiding - He is known for his great ability of escaping arrest (disguising as a fieldworker, chef or others)
Power of conviction - His speech, where he declared he was ready to die, helped him save his life instead
Legal counseling to blacks - Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo founded the first black-run law company in South Africa, in 1952
Strengh of character - He could have got out of prison in '85 if he had given up armed struggle. Of course, he refused, saying "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"
Freedom - In 1990, he got out of the prison and continued to fight against Apartheid
Awards - He received more than 250 awards, including Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
Books - Mandela wrote Long Walk to Freedom, an autobiographical work first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. The book won the Alan Paton Award in 1995, and has been published in numerous languages, including an Afrikaans translation by Antjie Krog
Film adaptation - Long Walk to Freedom has been adapted into a film titled Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, released on 29 November 2013
His birthday - July 18 was declared by USA "Nelson Mandela International Day"
Cause of death - Respiratory tract infection
Bio / wiki sources: Wikipedia, accounts on social media, content from our users.
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Education
Clarkebury-Wesleyan mission and education centre
High school at Healdtown Methodist Boarding School
Fort Hare University - the only university for Blacks (African, coloured and Indian)
Quotes
I am the captain of my soul.
A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.
Appearances matter — and remember to smile.
One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
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.
It always seems impossible until it's done.
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.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
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 want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.
I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
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 I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.