Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Today one of the great men of our time passed away. It was not a surprise, given his age and his recent health problems. But it was still a shock when I heard it. I had always admired this larger-than-life figure who sacrificed so many years of his life fighting for freedom and justice in his country, and then reached out to his former captors to ensure a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy.
The first live news story I can remember watching was Mandela's release from prison in 1990.

Nelson Mandela's "walk to freedom",12 February 1990

(From the Guardian newspaper, UK)

USA Today collected several of Mandela's best quotes.

My favorites:

• "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."
• "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."

I will pay tribute to Mandela with one of my favorite quotes from the Sermon on the Mount.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)