On the 5th December, 2013 South Africa’s first black president, Mr. Nelson Mandela, president passed away and left a void not just in South Africa but in the world at large.

A year on Madiba’s legacy is still very much alive.

The Nobel Prize winner and anti-Apartheid icon, who died at the age of 95, had been noted for his impactful inspirational quotes and great words of wisdom.

Below are probably ten of the best excerpts spoken by the great Nelson Mandela:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. It always seems impossible until it’s done.

5. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.

6. Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

7. 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.

8. Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

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

10. 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. Mandela may be gone but he will never be forgotten. His words and his legacy still live on.