Notable tributes from world leaders and other prominent figures on the passing of a titan, the beloved Madiba.
“Death is something inevitable.
When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his
country, he can rest in peace,” such was the quote on Nelson Mandela’s official
Twitter page.
President Obama:
“He achieved more than could be
expected of any man and today he’s gone home. We’ve lost one of
the most influential, courageous and profoundly good
human beings that any of us will ever share time with on this
earth. He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages.”
Bill Clinton:
“Today the world has lost one
of its most important leaders and one of its finest human beings. History will
remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace
and reconciliation.”
Desmond Tutu:
“The
sun will rise tomorrow. It will not be as bright as yesterday. But life will
carry on…God is asking South Africans, please become what you are, show the
world we are members of one family. We belong together.”
South
African President Jacob Zuma:
“[The
nation] has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”
The Dalai Lama
“The best tribute we can pay to
him is to do whatever we can to contribute to honoring the oneness of humanity
and working for peace and reconciliation as he did.”
Muhammad Ali:
“What I will remember most
about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul, and spirit could not
be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars, or
the burden of hate and revenge. He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale.”
Oprah:
“One of the great honors of my
life was to be invited to Nelson Mandela’s home, spend private time, and get to
know him. He was everything you’ve ever heard and more—humble and unscathed by
bitterness. And he always loved to tell a good joke. Being in his presence was
like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time. He will always be my
hero. His life was a gift to us all.”
Former British Prime Minister
Tony Blair:
“Mandela made racism everywhere
not just immoral but stupid; something not only to be disagreed with, but to be
despised. In its place he put the inalienable right of all humankind to be free
and to be equal.”
Paul Simon:
“Mandela was one of the great
leaders and teachers of the twentieth century. He conceived a model for mortal
enemies to overcome their hatred and find a way through compassion to rebuild a
nation based on truth, justice, and the power of forgiveness. His passing
should reignite a worldwide effort for peace.”
U2 Frontman Bono:
“It was he who rebooted the
idea of Africa from a continent in chaos to a much more romantic view, one in
keeping with the majesty of the landscape and the nobility of even its poorer
inhabitants. He was also a hardheaded realist, as his economic policy
demonstrated. To him, principles and pragmatism were not foes; they went hand
in hand. He was an idealist without naiveté, a compromiser without being
compromised.”
You are truly a Giant, a Titan. FOREVER MANDELA!!!
Culled from www.biography.com
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