Political Quotes

“I thank you, Mr. Fattah. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my distinguished colleagues in a tribute to the life of President Nelson Mandela. I do so with a heavy heart. The people of South Africa and the world at large have lost a great human being and one of the finest leaders ever known. Although President Nelson Mandela has passed, his legacy and his vision remain vital, and they will remain with us. Madiba taught us how to live and also how to die. He inspired hope in the people of South Africa. He set an example of leadership we would all do well to follow. He showed the world that an impassioned pursuit of justice could win over complacency and corruption. I will always remember Nelson Mandela as a man and a movement. In 1990, not long after Mr. Mandela's release from jail, I attended a speech he gave at the Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Seeing this icon in the flesh and hearing his calm voice taught me something about the nature of true revolutionaries--that they are very real people. Nelson Mandela was a real person who personally faced oppression. Facing that reality made his legend all the more inspiring to me. True progress is not beyond our reach. It is not a product of wishful thinking or of serendipity. Radical change comes from determination and integrity. His peaceful presence underscored the intensity of his resolve. He bravely sought to change the seemingly unshakable status quo.…”