Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

by

Nelson Mandela

Judge de Wet Character Analysis

Judge De Wet is the judge who presides over the Rivonia Trial, in which Mandela and several other anti-apartheid activists are tried. Although he is not as radically conservative as some of the other people Mandela encounters, choosing not to give Mandela the death penalty, he does ultimately sentence Mandela to life in prison.

Judge de Wet Quotes in Long Walk to Freedom

The Long Walk to Freedom quotes below are all either spoken by Judge de Wet or refer to Judge de Wet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism and Division Theme Icon
).
Chapter 57 Quotes

I was prepared for the death penalty. To be truly prepared for something, one must actually expect it. One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen. We were all prepared, not because we were brave but because we were realistic. I thought of the line from Shakespeare: “Be absolute for death; for either death or life shall be the sweeter.”

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Judge de Wet
Page Number: 374
Explanation and Analysis:
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Judge de Wet Quotes in Long Walk to Freedom

The Long Walk to Freedom quotes below are all either spoken by Judge de Wet or refer to Judge de Wet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism and Division Theme Icon
).
Chapter 57 Quotes

I was prepared for the death penalty. To be truly prepared for something, one must actually expect it. One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen. We were all prepared, not because we were brave but because we were realistic. I thought of the line from Shakespeare: “Be absolute for death; for either death or life shall be the sweeter.”

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Judge de Wet
Page Number: 374
Explanation and Analysis: