Former US President Barack Obama delivered a truly powerful speech at the 16th Annual Mandela Lecture. Touching on issues such as the economy, challenges facing industries, and of course urge South Africa and probably the rest of the world, to embody and carry out Madiba’s vision for generations to come.
Just in case you missed the speech, 5 of the most “brain-picking” quotes (although there were more) has been compiled.
- “I believe in Nelson Mandela’s vision. I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King. I believe in a vision of equality and justice and freedom and multiracial democracy built on the premise that all people are created equal.”
- “Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.”
- “A few dozen individuals control the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of the world. That’s not an exaggeration, it’s a statistic.”
- “Right now I am actually surprised by how much money I’ve got. But let me tell you something: there’s only so much you can eat. You don’t have to take a vow of poverty to say help me out. It shows a poverty of ambition just to take more and more and more.”
- “Populists undermine every kind of institution and use barely hidden racism. The free press is under attack… social media has proved to be just as effective promoting hatred.”
So when you’re spending 67 minutes doing “good” this Mandela Day, ponder upon what Obama had to say and let’s be that generation that will remake this world!
Article edited and submitted by Megandri Govender
