Although delayed, I thought it was important to still capture this moment. In December, upon the passing of Nelson Mandela, I wrote to the high school community:

Everyone has that person…the one you say when asked who you’d most like to meet or invite to dinner. My person was Nelson Mandela. The emancipation of South Africa was the first international cause that I cared about in high school and, while other inspirational leaders have left their mark, I always knew that I would be particularly sad when he passed. Who is your person?

Nelson Mandela’s life epitomized the brave struggle for freedom, equality and justice, virtues that we celebrate at UNIS. Here are just a few of the many quotes that my friends have shared today over social media. Perhaps you have a quote that you would like to add to this email chain as a way of reflecting on our school’s important mission and remembering Mandela’s courageous leadership.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“No one is born hating another person because of the color 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.”

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right”

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

Click here to read the UN press release and click here to the NYTimes article on Mandela’s death.

Here are some of the inspiring contributions from the community.  Some are favorite Madiba quotes, others are just appropriate for the occasion:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

“As we let out own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” One of Mandela’s favorite quotes by Marianne Williamson

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

“A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.”

“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.”

”When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat.”

“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.”

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

“Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison”

“It is better to lead from behind and put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”

“There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.”

“We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”

“All the happiness there is in this world comes from thinking about others, and all the suffering comes from preoccupation with yourself.”