Nelson Mandela:
"After becoming president, I asked some members of my close protection team to walk with me around the city, to have lunch in one of its restaurants.
We sat down in one of the restaurants in the city center and we all asked for food."
"After a while, the waiter brought us our orders, I noticed that there was someone sitting in front of my table waiting for their food."
I then told one of my guards: go and ask this person to join us with his dish and eat with us, which was done.
The man brought his food and sat next to me; he was very embarrassed and his hands were constantly shaking. This continued until everyone had finished their meal and the man left.
The guard told me: "The man was apparently very ill. His hands were shaking while he was eating!" "No, not at all," said Mandela.
"This man was the warden of the prison where I was imprisoned."
Often, after the torture I endured, I would scream and ask for some water.
"The same man came every time and urinated on my head."
"So I found him frightened, trembling, expecting me to return the favor, at least in the same way, either by torturing him or by imprisoning him as I am now the President of the State of South Africa."
"But that's not in my character, nor is it part of my ethics."
"A mentality of retaliation destroys states, while a mentality of tolerance builds nations."
Source: Retrospectives of Senegal 🇸🇳
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Tuesday, April 27, 2021
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