Our Task Is Not To Liberate The

The First Election In Which All South Africans Took Part Was In April, 1994. There Were Long Queues [lines] Of Employers And Employees, Black And White. In The Sense Of Africans, Coloreds And Indians - When I Talk About Blacks, I Mean Those Three. Blacks And Whites Mingled To Vote Without Any Hitches. Many People Would Have Expected A Great Deal Of Tension, Clashes And Violence, But It Did Not Occur.

I Knew We Could Improve Our Lives Even In Jail. We Could Come Out As Different Men, And We Could Even Come Out With Two Degrees. Educating Ourselves Was A Way To Give Ourselves The Most Powerful Weapon For Freedom.

When I Walked Out Of The Gate I Knew That If I Continued To Hate These People I Was Still In Prison.

There Is No Such Thing As Part Freedom.

I Am Fundamentally An Optimist. Whether That Comes From Nature Or Nurture, I Cannot Say. Part Of Being Optimistic Is Keeping One's Head Pointed Toward The Sun, One's Feet Moving Forward. There Were Many Dark Moments When My Faith In Humanity Was Sorely Tested, But I Would Not And Could Not Give Myself Up To Despair. That Way Lays Defeat And Death.