Remarks of President Barack Obama As Prepared for Delivery

The White House Office of the Press Secretary

Remembering Nelson Mandela Johannesburg, South Africa December 10, 01! To Graa Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of state and government, past and present; distinguished guests it is a singular honor to be !ith you today, to celebrate a life unli"e any other# To the people of South $frica people of every race and !al" of life the !orld than"s you for sharing %elson Mandela !ith us# &is struggle !as your struggle# &is triumph !as your triumph# 'our dignity and hope found e(pression in his life, and your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy# )t is hard to eulogi*e any man to capture in !ords not +ust the facts and the dates that ma"e a life, but the essential truth of a person their private +oys and sorro!s; the ,uiet moments and uni,ue ,ualities that illuminate someone-s soul# &o! much harder to do so for a giant of history, !ho moved a nation to!ard +ustice, and in the process moved billions around the !orld# .orn during /orld /ar ), far from the corridors of po!er, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by elders of his Thembu tribe Madiba !ould emerge as the last great liberator of the 01th century# 2i"e Gandhi, he !ould lead a resistance movement a movement that at its start held little prospect of success# 2i"e 3ing, he !ould give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed, and the moral necessity of racial +ustice# &e !ould endure a brutal imprisonment that began in the time of 3ennedy and 3hrushchev, and reached the final days of the 4old /ar# 5merging from prison, !ithout force of arms, he !ould li"e 2incoln hold his country together !hen it threatened to brea" apart# 2i"e $merica-s founding fathers, he !ould erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations a commitment to democracy and rule of la! ratified not only by his election, but by his !illingness to step do!n from po!er# Given the s!eep of his life, and the adoration that he so rightly earned, it is tempting then to remember %elson Mandela as an icon, smiling and serene, detached from the ta!dry affairs of lesser men# .ut Madiba himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait# )nstead, he insisted on sharing !ith us his doubts and fears; his miscalculations along !ith his victories# 6)-m not a saint,7 he said, 6unless you thin" of a saint as a sinner !ho "eeps on trying#7 )t !as precisely because he could admit to imperfection because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried that !e loved him so# &e !as not a bust made of marble; he !as a man of flesh and blood a son and husband, a father and a friend# That is !hy !e learned so much from him; that is !hy !e can learn from him still# 8or nothing he achieved !as inevitable# )n the arc of his life, !e see a man !ho earned his place in history through struggle and shre!dness; persistence and faith# &e tells us !hat-s possible not +ust in the pages of dusty history boo"s, but in our o!n lives as !ell# Mandela sho!ed us the po!er of action; of ta"ing ris"s on behalf of our ideals# Perhaps Madiba !as right that he inherited, 6a proud rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness7 from his father# 4ertainly he shared !ith millions of blac" and colored South $fricans the anger born of, 6a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments9a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people#7 .ut li"e other early giants of the $%4 the Sisulus and Tambos Madiba disciplined his anger; and channeled his desire to fight into organi*ation, and platforms, and strategies for action, so men and !omen could stand up for their dignity# Moreover, he accepted the conse,uences of his actions, "no!ing that standing up to po!erful interests and in+ustice carries a price# 6) have fought against !hite domination and ) have fought against blac" domination,7 he said at his :;<= trial# 6)-ve cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in !hich all persons live together in

harmony and !ith e,ual opportunities# )t is an ideal !hich ) hope to live for and to achieve# .ut if needs be, it is an ideal for !hich ) am prepared to die#7 Mandela taught us the po!er of action, but also ideas; the importance of reason and arguments; the need to study not only those you agree !ith, but those !ho you don-t# &e understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison !alls, or e(tinguished by a sniper-s bullet# &e turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid because of his elo,uence and passion, but also his training as an advocate# &e used decades in prison to sharpen his arguments, but also to spread his thirst for "no!ledge to others in the movement# $nd he learned the language and customs of his oppressor so that one day he might better convey to them ho! their o!n freedom depended upon his# Mandela demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough; no matter ho! right, they must be chiseled into la!s and institutions# &e !as practical, testing his beliefs against the hard surface of circumstance and history# On core principles he !as unyielding, !hich is !hy he could rebuff offers of conditional release, reminding the $partheid regime that, 6prisoners cannot enter into contracts#7 .ut as he sho!ed in painsta"ing negotiations to transfer po!er and draft ne! la!s, he !as not afraid to compromise for the sa"e of a larger goal# $nd because he !as not only a leader of a movement, but a s"illful politician, the 4onstitution that emerged !as !orthy of this multiracial democracy; true to his vision of la!s that protect minority as !ell as ma+ority rights, and the precious freedoms of every South $frican# 8inally, Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit# There is a !ord in South $frica >buntu that describes his greatest gift? his recognition that !e are all bound together in !ays that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that !e achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves !ith others, and caring for those around us# /e can never "no! ho! much of this !as innate in him, or ho! much of !as shaped and burnished in a dar", solitary cell# .ut !e remember the gestures, large and small introducing his +ailors as honored guests at his inauguration; ta"ing the pitch in a Springbo" uniform; turning his family-s heartbrea" into a call to confront &)@A$)BS that revealed the depth of his empathy and understanding# &e not only embodied >buntu; he taught millions to find that truth !ithin themselves# )t too" a man li"e Madiba to free not +ust the prisoner, but the +ailor as !ell; to sho! that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it !ith inclusion, generosity and truth# &e changed la!s, but also hearts# 8or the people of South $frica, for those he inspired around the globe Madiba-s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate his heroic life# .ut ) believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self reflection# /ith honesty, regardless of our station or circumstance, !e must as"? ho! !ell have ) applied his lessons in my o!n lifeC )t is a ,uestion ) as" myself as a man and as a President# /e "no! that li"e South $frica, the >nited States had to overcome centuries of racial sub+ugation# $s !as true here, it too" the sacrifice of countless people "no!n and un"no!n to see the da!n of a ne! day# Michelle and ) are the beneficiaries of that struggle# .ut in $merica and South $frica, and countries around the globe, !e cannot allo! our progress to cloud the fact that our !or" is not done# The struggles that follo! the victory of formal e,uality and universal franchise may not be as filled !ith drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important# 8or around the !orld today, !e still see children suffering from hunger, and disease; run do!n schools, and fe! prospects for the future# $round the !orld today, men and !omen are still imprisoned for their political beliefs; and are still persecuted for !hat they loo" li"e, or ho! they !orship, or !ho they love# /e, too, must act on behalf of +ustice# /e, too, must act on behalf of peace# There are too many of us !ho happily embrace Madiba-s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that !ould challenge chronic poverty and gro!ing ine,uality# There are too many leaders !ho claim solidarity !ith Madiba-s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their o!n people# $nd there are too many of us !ho stand on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism !hen our voices must be heard# The ,uestions !e face today ho! to promote e,uality and +ustice; to uphold freedom and human rights; to end conflict and sectarian !ar do not have easy ans!ers# .ut there !ere no easy ans!ers in front of that child in Dunu# %elson Mandela reminds us that it al!ays seems impossible until it is done# South $frica sho!s us that is true# South $frica sho!s us !e can change# /e can choose to live in a !orld defined not by our differences, but by our common hopes# /e can choose a !orld defined not by conflict, but by peace and +ustice and opportunity# /e !ill never see the li"es of %elson Mandela again# .ut let me say to the young people of $frica, and young people around the !orld you can ma"e his life-s !or" your o!n# Over thirty years ago, !hile still a student, ) learned of

Mandela and the struggles in this land# )t stirred something in me# )t !o"e me up to my responsibilities to others, and to myself and set me on an improbable +ourney that finds me here today# $nd !hile ) !ill al!ays fall short of Madiba-s e(ample, he ma"es me !ant to be better# &e spea"s to !hat is best inside us# $fter this great liberator is laid to rest; !hen !e have returned to our cities and villages, and re+oined our daily routines, let us search then for his strength for his largeness of spirit some!here inside ourselves# $nd !hen the night gro!s dar", !hen in+ustice !eighs heavy on our hearts, or our best laid plans seem beyond our reach thin" of Madiba, and the !ords that brought him comfort !ithin the four !alls of a cell? )t matters not ho! strait the gate, &o! charged !ith punishments the scroll, ) am the master of my fate? ) am the captain of my soul# /hat a great soul it !as# /e !ill miss him deeply# May God bless the memory of %elson Mandela# May God bless the people of South $frica#