LONDON | Detiknews86.com – Mandela Day is celebrated every year on June 18, his birthday. A visionary leader, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after spending 27 years in prison for alleged crimes against the country’s former apartheid government. After his release in 1990, the Nobel Prize winner continued his fight against poverty, inequality and racism.
As the world remembers the extraordinary work he did to bring down an oppressive government and establish democracy in South Africa and his undying commitment to sustainable development goals, we prepared a list of Nelson Mandela’s most memorable quotesabout the environment.
— 10 Best Nelson Mandela Quotes
1. “That our government has made significant progress in bringing access to drinking water closer to more people than ever before, I consider one of our country’s most important democratic achievements” – “No Water, No Future” speech on August 28, 2002.
2. “Human rights are denied every day to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, unavailability of basic needs such as food, work, water and shelter, education, health care and a healthy environment.”
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3. “I dream of our vast deserts, our forests, and all our vast wilderness. We must not forget that protecting this environment is our duty.”
4. “As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” – in Trafalgar Square, London, in 2005.
5. “It is in your hands to create a better world for all its inhabitants.”
6. “The poverty of society and the destruction of the natural environment is very painful for me.”
7. “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural.
Poverty is the result of human actions and can be overcome and eradicated through human action.” – Trafalgar Square in London in 2005.
8. “It can be said that there are four basic and main things that most people want: to live in a safe environment, to be able to work and meet their own needs, to have access to good public health services, and to have good educational opportunities fortheir children.”
9. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” – Mandela’s speech at the launch of the Mindset Network in July 2003.
10. “Abject poverty and senseless inequality are such terrible scourges of our time — an age in which the world boasts astonishing progress in science, technology, industry, and the accumulation of wealth — that they must be put on a par with slavery andapartheid as a social evil.” – Speaking to a crowd in Trafalgar Square, London, in 2005 for the “Make Poverty History” campaign.
If you liked these Nelson Mandela quotes, you might also like: 15 Inspirational David Attenborough Quotes about Nature, Wildlife and Climate Change.
Featured Image: Flickr
