“One day, I was on the front lawn of the property and aimed the gun at a sparrow perched high in a tree. Hazel Goldreich, Arthur's wife, was watching me and jokingly remarked that I would never hit the target. But she had hardly finished the sentence when the sparrow fell to the ground. I turned to her and was about to boast, when the Goldreichs' son Paul, then about five years old, turned to me with tears in his eyes and said, "David, why did you kill that bird? Its mother will be sad." My mood immediately shifted from one of pride to shame; I felt that this small boy had far more humanity than I did. It was an odd sensation for a man who was the leader of a nascent guerrilla army.”

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About Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader and South African president (1918–2013) spent 27 years in prison for his activism before becoming the nation’s first democratically elected leader. His work to dismantle racial segregation and foster reconciliation earned him global recognition as a symbol of peace and justice.

More from Nelson Mandela (142 quotes) →
"One day, I was on the front lawn of the property and aimed the gun at…" — Nelson Mandela | Daily Quotes