Key Concepts
- 1What are Mandela's 'twin obligations'?
- 2What is Mandela's definition of courage?
- 3How long was Mandela imprisoned?
- 4What is Mandela's definition of courage?
- 5What are Mandela's 'twin obligations'?
- 6How long was Mandela imprisoned?
- 7What are Mandela's 'twin obligations'?
- 8How long was Mandela imprisoned?
- 9What is Mandela's definition of courage?
- 10What are Mandela's 'twin obligations'?
Important Formulas & Facts
Every person has twin obligations: (1) to family — parents, wife, children; and (2) to community, people, and country.
Courage is 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.
27 years, mostly on Robben Island. He was imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism and released on 11 February 1990.
Courage is 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.
Every person has twin obligations: (1) to family — parents, wife, children; and (2) to community, people, and country.
27 years, mostly on Robben Island. He was imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism and released on 11 February 1990.
Every person has twin obligations: (1) to family — parents, wife, children; and (2) to community, people, and country.
27 years, mostly on Robben Island. He was imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism and released on 11 February 1990.
Courage is 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.
Every person has twin obligations: (1) to family — parents, wife, children; and (2) to community, people, and country.
Must-Know Questions
Q1What does Mandela mean by 'twin obligations'?
Mandela says every man has twin obligations — one to his family, parents, wife and children, and the other to his people, his community, and his country. In a country like South Africa, it was almost impossible for a man of his skin colour to fulfil both obligations.
Q2What does Mandela say about the nature of courage?
Mandela says courage is 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. He learned this from his comrades in the struggle.
Q3What does Mandela describe as 'the greatest wealth' of South Africa?
Mandela describes the people of South Africa as its greatest wealth, more precious than diamonds and gold. It is the people — their courage, goodness, and resilience — that make the country truly rich.
Q4According to Mandela, what is the difference between being free and knowing freedom?
Mandela says as a young man, his idea of freedom was personal — the freedom to run in the fields, to swim, to stay out at night. But when he grew up, he realised that not just his freedom but the freedom of everyone was curtailed. His hunger for his own freedom became a hunger for the freedom of his people.
Q5What does Mandela say about the oppressor and the oppressed?
Mandela believes that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. The oppressor is a prisoner of hatred, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness. An oppressor is not truly free because he is locked behind the bars of his own prejudice. Both need to be liberated. According to Mandela, a person who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred.
Practice Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
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