President Obama Delivers a Statement on the Passing of
Nelson Mandela
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/12/05/man-who-took-history-his-hands-and-bent-arc-moral-universe-toward-justice?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email268-text1&utm_campaign=mandela
President Obama delivered a statement on the passing of
former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela,
calling him "a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the
moral universe toward justice."
"We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela
again," the President said. "So it falls to us as best we can to
forward the example that he set: to make
decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference
that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his
sacrifice."
Statement by the President on the Death of Nelson Mandela
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/05/statement-president-death-nelson-mandela
THE PRESIDENT: At his
trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I
have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal
of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony
and with equal opportunities. It is an
ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.
But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it
real. He achieved more than could be
expected of any man. Today, he has gone
home. And we have lost one of the most
influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will
share time with on this Earth. He no
longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.
Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice
his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa --
and moved all of us. His journey from a
prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries
-- can change for the better. His
commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an
example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or
our own personal lives. And the fact
that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his
own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless
you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from
Nelson Mandela's life. My very first
political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy
or politics, was a protest against apartheid.
I studied his words and his writings.
The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human
beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot
fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so
long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.
To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our
deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from
those who loved him the most. And I only
hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and
comfort to his family.
To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from
the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made
real. A free South Africa at peace with itself
-- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he
loved.
We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela
again. So it falls to us as best we can
to forward the example that he set: to
make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the
difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of
his sacrifice.
For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that
Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc
of the moral universe toward justice.
May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.