Today is a very sad day for South Africa, and indeed the world, as we say goodbye to the man who inspired us all to be better people and make better choices – Mr. Nelson Mandela.

A man who sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of others, Nelson Mandela’s humility, compassion and profound sense of forgiveness transformed South Africa into the beautiful country we know today, and his long journey from prisoner to president proves that one man really can change the world.

There are no words to describe the love, respect and gratitude I feel for this great man, so I will leave you with a few words of his own…

 “No one is born hating another person for the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

“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”

“It always seems impossible until it is done”

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

 “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.”

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.”

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

“It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another”

“If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man.”

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying”

Sleep well Mr. Mandela… and thank you.