Nelson Mandela would have turned 100 today - here are 24 of his most timeless quotes

Speaking about AIDS at the 46664 concert in Norway, 2005, Mandela said: "When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of global crisis or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?"

"There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."

"The values of human solidarity that once drove our quest for a humane society seem to have been replaced, or are being threatened, by a crass materialism and pursuit of social goals of instant gratification," said Mandela during the 5th Steve Biko lecture, 2004. "One of the challenges of our time, without being pietistic or moralistic, is to re-instil in the consciousness of our people that sense of human solidarity, of being in the world for one another and because of and through others."

During the Soweto address, 2008, Mandela said: "A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of."

"People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite," from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1995).

In a letter to Winnie Mandela, he said: "Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end."

"Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished," he said during a speech in Cape Town, 1990.

"I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles," he said in his unpublished autobiographical manuscript, 1975.

"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion," from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1995).

During his address for the Make Poverty History campaign, 2005, Mandela said: "Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom."

"Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty," he said during the British Red Cross Humanity Lecture in 2003.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die," said during his speech from the dock following his 1964 trial.

"Mr Fraser, is Donald Bradman still alive?" said to former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, when visited by him in Pollsmoor jail, 1986.

Later, Mr Fraser presented him with a signed bat from The Don, inscribed: "To Nelson Mandela, in recognition of a great unfinished innings."

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others," from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1995).

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear," from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1995).

"You sharpen your ideas by reducing yourself to the level of the people you are with, and a sense of humour and a complete relaxation, even when you're discussing serious things, does help to mobilise friends around you. And I love that," he said in 2006 during an interview for "Mandela: The Authorised Portrait".

"Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize encapsulates," from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1993.

"A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones," from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom (1995).

"Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do," he said in a letter to Makhaya Ntini on his 100th cricket test, 2009.

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

"If I had my time over I would do the same again. So would any man who dares call himself a man," said during a speech in mitigation after being convicted of inciting strikes and leaving the country illegally, 1962.

"Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace," said during a documentary interview, 1994.

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived; it is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead," said during his address at Walter Sisulu's 90th birthday celebrations, 2002.