Nelson Mandela insisted on being called by his name when racist guards tried to dehumanize him in prison, treating dignity as a first battle. He believed in pragmatism over ideology, admiring leaders across the political spectrum who supported anti-apartheid efforts, and stressed that real change requires humility and self-transformation before you can transform society.
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We put our foot down and insisted in being respected, even though we were prisoners.
She said, "Who are you to ask for my name?
What's your name?" You have a limited time to stay on Earth.
We do not care whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice.
But humility is one of the most important qualities which you must have.
I was paralyzed because he made my day.
Our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.
But our brain said, if you don't talk to this man, your country will go up in flames.
It is the desire of every freedom fighter to disappear under a cloud of glory. I don't know if I have paralyzed you. No, no, no, no, no.
He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. In South Africa, he's often described as the Father of the Nation. He's Nelson Mandela, and here are his top 10 rules for success.
How did you get the racist guards to treat you with respect? You're in prison, and you said, "I will only respond to the name Mandela or Mr.
Mandela." You must fight the battle for dignity on the very first day you go to jail.
Really?
And that's what we did. We put our foot down and insisted in being respected, even though we were prisoners. And we eventually succeeded in that.
When I phoned some place in my country and a lady answered the telephone, I then asked, "To whom am I speaking?" She said, "You're speaking to me." I said, "Well, lady, I know I'm speaking to you, but what's your name?" She said, "Who are you to ask for my name? What's your name?" I say, "Well, lady, as soon as you tell me your name, I'll tell you mine. But as we argued as to who should tell his or her name, she became very cross. And she said, "You seem to be a backward person. Have you passed your matric?" Now, matric in our country is a university entry examination. And I said, "Well, lady, you must be very careful." Because if the qualification to speak to you is the possession of a matric certificate, I might work hard and pass my matric and be in the same class as you are. That was treason. She said, "You will never be in my class," and banged the telephone.
Aow aaw wish she were here today.
She would now discover that I have achieved more than passed my matric.
I hated oppression. And when I think about the past, the type of things they did, I feel angry. You have a limited time to stay on earth. You must try and use that period for the purpose of transforming your country into what you desire it to be.
What can assure me as a human being and a concerned African American that the ANC will indeed have a fiscal solvent policy that will continue the use of the resources of South Africa in a meaningful way? Or should I put it more succinctly? Will your economy be based on the Marxist system, socialism, or capitalism, or both?
I knew that was the question you wanted to ask. I am happy that you have had the courage to put it directly. We are not concerned with models. We are not concerned with labels. We are practical men and women whose solutions are dictated by the actual conditions existing in our country. As somebody has said, we do not care whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice.
The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself. And one of the most important weapons in changing yourself is to recognize that peace— I mean, people everywhere in the world want peace. But humility is one of the most important qualities which you must have, because if you are humble, If you make people realize that you are no threat to them, then people will embrace you. They will listen to you.
Was Muhammad Ali a hero of yours?
Well, naturally, as far as boxing is concerned and what he has done, he was my hero, just like Rupin here. This is my hero.
What did you say to him when he told you he loved you?
Well, I was, uh, paralyzed because he made my day.
And so what leaders, what leaders of the 20th century do you admire?
Well, I have answered that question. It's not the question of a leader. It's a question of a human being who does something to make an ordinary individual to feel, "I am a human being, and I have a future, and I can go to bed feeling strong and full of hope." And you have praised Fidel Castro.
As a leader of human rights and said that Cuba was one of the countries that's head and shoulders above all other countries in human rights, despite the fact that documents at the United Nations and elsewhere show that Cuba is one of the worst. I was just wondering, are these your models of leaders of human rights? And if so, would you want a Gaddafi or an Arafat or a Castro to be a future president of South Africa?
One of the mistakes which some political analysts make is to think that their enemies should be our enemies. That we can and we will never do. We have our own struggle which we are conducting. We are grateful to the world for supporting our struggle. But nevertheless, we are an independent organization with its own policy, and the attitude of every country towards— our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle. Yasser Arafat, Colonel Gaddafi, Fidel Castro support our struggle to the hilt. There is no reason whatsoever why we should have any hesitation about hailing their commitment to human rights as they are being demanded in South Africa. Our attitude is based solely on the fact that they fully support the anti-apartheid struggle. They do not support it only in rhetoric. They are placing resources at our disposal for us to win this fight.
That is the position.
You also said to me one evening, you said, "We made the brain dominate the blood." Our emotions said, "The white minority is an enemy.
We must never talk to them." But our brain said, "If you don't talk to this man, your country will go up in flames, and for many years to come, this country will be engulfed in rivers of blood." So we had to reconcile that conflict. And our talking to the enemy was the result of the domination of the brain over emotions.
But then you were convicted in 1964 for conspiracy against the state. And in your— when you pleaded, you said that, "I am willing to die." for this cause. This is a very tough thing to say.
Yes, I had to say that, not from a spirit of bravado, but because I genuinely felt that they were going to hang us. And it is the desire of every freedom fighter to disappear under a cloud of glory rather than that of shame. It is the task of a freedom fighter, when you see that the end of your days has come, to leave a tradition of bravery, determination to face even death for your principles.
And I thought about it.
It was not because I was brave, but because one had a duty to perform.
At that moment, I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. 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 will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an idea for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But my Lord, if it needs be, It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
For anybody who changes his principles depending on whom he is dealing, that is not a man who can lead a nation. Apparently, Mr. Koppen, you have not listened to my argument. If you have done so, then you have not been serious. In examining it. I have replied to one of our friends here that I have refused to be drawn into the differences that exist between various communities inside the USA. You have not commented that I am going to offend anybody by refusing to involve myself myself in the internal affairs of the USA— of the USA? Why are you so keen that I should involve myself in the internal affairs of Cuba and Libya? No, I expect you to be consistent. I don't know if I have paralyzed you. No, no, no, no, no.
I'm, uh, I'm afraid, Mr.
Mandela, that paralysis does not set in quite that easily in my case. The point, uh—
Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Michael B. asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave it in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of Nelson Mandela's top 10 rules had the biggest impact on you, was gonna change your life in some way. Leave it in the comments and I'll join the discussion. And one last thing, my goal with this channel is to get to 1 million subscribers, so anything that you can do to think of to share the video, tell friends about it, add it to playlists, tweet about it, let people know, I'd really, really, really appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching. Continue to believe, and I'll see you soon.
