One of the greatest things I fear is letting down my people. I wouldn't live with that type of conscience, of having let down my people after they've been brutalized for so long. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela More Quotes by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela More Quotes From Winnie Madikizela-Mandela I am the product of the masses of my country and the product of my enemy. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela mass country enemy The years of imprisonment hardened me ... Perhaps if you have been given a moment to hold back and wait for the next blow, your emotions wouldn't be blunted as they have been in my case. When it happens every day of your life, when that pain becomes a way of life ... there is no longer anything I can fear. There is nothing the government has not done to me. There isn't any pain I haven't known. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela pain blow fear Together, hand in hand, with our matches and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela justice country hands We have a shared destiny, a shared responsibility to save the world from those who attempt to destroy it. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela destroy destiny responsibility world Those 18 months in solitary confinement... bruised my soul. If I had had a weapon, I would have fought my way out. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela out my-soul soul way We talk of a rainbow nation - in a country that remains dichotomized between black and white. We must acknowledge that the rainbow, in fact, is still a dream. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela rainbow black-and-white black white I am not the sort of person to carry beautiful flowers and be an ornament to everyone. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela flowers person i-am beautiful It dawned on me then that you either had to survive apartheid, or you had to perish with it. And I decided to survive. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela survive me you apartheid We cannot pretend we do not have problems; we cannot pretend things are not wrong in our country. A lot of things are wrong. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela pretend wrong problems country You build dreams, you build castles in the air, and you hope that at least part of that will be realized, even under apartheid. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela will dreams you hope I believe in myself and the justice I've fought for all my life. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela my-life myself justice life I often wonder why I attract so much criticism. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela attract why criticism wonder You all must realize that Mandela was not the only man who suffered. There were many others - hundreds who languished in prison and died. Many unsung and unknown heroes of the struggle. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela you man prison struggle I have a good relationship with Mandela. But I am not Mandela's product. I am the product of the masses of my country and the product of my enemy. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela i-am good relationship country When I was born, my mother was very disappointed. She wanted a son. I knew that from a very early age. So I was a tomboy. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela born age mother son I am not sorry. I will never be sorry. I would do everything I did again if I had to. Everything. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela i-am will never sorry The life of the President's First Lady would not have been for me. And I don't know how I would have been as a housewife. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela lady know me life The solution of this country's problems lies in black hands. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela problems black country hands The brutality of apartheid drains you of that emotion of fear if you have gone through everything you can be put through in the process of harassment. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela you emotion process fear I'm not ashamed of anything I've ever done in the name of fairness and justice for my people. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela name done justice people
