Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

by

Nelson Mandela

Literally meaning “apartness,” apartheid was a policy implemented by the white supremacist government of South Africa to keep people of different races apart. It was in place from 1948 until 1990. Mandela and several other figures in the book oppose apartheid and the racial injustice that it perpetuates.

Apartheid Quotes in Long Walk to Freedom

The Long Walk to Freedom quotes below are all either spoken by Apartheid or refer to Apartheid. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism and Division Theme Icon
).
Chapter 13 Quotes

Malan’s platform was known as apartheid. Apartheid was a new term but an old idea. It literally means “apartness” and it represented the codification in one oppressive system of all the laws and regulations that had kept Africans in an inferior position to whites for centuries.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Dr. Malan
Page Number: 111
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

The government saw the campaign as a threat to its security and its policy of apartheid. They regarded civil disobedience not as a form of protest but as a crime, and were perturbed by the growing partnership between Africans and Indians. Apartheid was designed to divide racial groups, and we showed that different groups could work together. The prospect of a united front between Africans and Indians, between moderates and radicals, greatly worried them.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Dr. Malan
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

The bantustan system had been conceived by Dr. H. F. Verwoerd, the minister of native affairs, as a way of muting international criticism of South African racial policies but at the same time institutionalizing apartheid. The bantustans, or reserves as they were also known, would be separate ethnic enclaves or homelands for all African citizens. Africans, Verwoerd said, “should stand with both feet in the reserves” where they were to “develop along their own lines.” The idea was to preserve the status quo where three million whites owned 87 percent of the land, and relegate the eight million Africans to the remaining 13 percent.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), H. F. Verwoerd
Page Number: 190
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35 Quotes

Although we were kept together, our diet was fixed according to race. For breakfast, Africans, Indians, and Coloureds received the same quantities, except that Indians and Coloureds received a half-teaspoonful of sugar, which we did not. For supper, the diets were the same, except that Indians and Coloureds received four ounces of bread while we received none. This latter distinction was made on the curious premise that Africans did not naturally like bread, which was a more sophisticated or “Western” taste. The diet for white detainees was far superior to that for Africans. So color-conscious were the authorities that even the type of sugar and bread supplied to whites and nonwhites differed: white prisoners received white sugar and white bread, while Coloured and Indian prisoners were given brown sugar and brown bread.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 244
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

I did not regard the verdict as a vindication of the legal system or evidence that a black man could get a fair trial in a white man’s court. It was the right verdict and a just one, but it was largely as a result of a superior defense team and the fair-mindedness of the panel of these particular judges.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 260
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 45 Quotes

In planning the direction and form that MK would take, we considered four types of violent activities: sabotage, guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and open revolution. For a small and fledgling army, open revolution was inconceivable. Terrorism inevitably reflected poorly on those who used it, undermining any public support it might otherwise garner. Guerrilla warfare was a possibility, but since the ANC had been reluctant to embrace violence at all, it made sense to start with the form of violence that inflicted the least harm against individuals: sabotage.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 282
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 51 Quotes

I entered the court that Monday morning wearing a traditional Xhosa leopard-skin kaross instead of a suit and tie. The crowd of supporters rose as one and with raised, clenched fists shouted “Amandla!” and “Ngawethu!” The kaross electrified the spectators, many of whom were friends and family, some of whom had come all the way from the Transkei. Winnie also wore a traditional beaded headdress and an ankle-length Xhosa skirt.

I had chosen traditional dress to emphasize the symbolism that I was a black African walking into a white man’s court. I was literally carrying on my back the history, culture, and heritage of my people.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker), Nomzamo Winifred “Winnie” Madikizela
Page Number: 324
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 63 Quotes

In jail, all prisoners are classified by the authorities as one of four categories: A, B, C, or D. A is the highest classification and confers the most privileges; D is the lowest and confers the least. All political prisoners, or what the authorities called “security prisoners,” were automatically classified as D on admission. The privileges affected by these classifications included visits and letters, studies, and the opportunity to buy groceries and incidentals—all of which are the lifeblood of any prisoner. It normally took years for a political prisoner to raise his status from D to C.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Related Symbols: Robben Island
Page Number: 398
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 115 Quotes

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.

Related Characters: Nelson Mandela (speaker)
Page Number: 625
Explanation and Analysis:
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Apartheid Term Timeline in Long Walk to Freedom

The timeline below shows where the term Apartheid appears in Long Walk to Freedom. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...having sided with Nazi Germany during World War II. The cornerstone of their platform is apartheid, which means “apartness” and is about separating African people from White people. The victory surprises... (full context)
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
Malan begins to implement apartheid. Dr. Xuma, the head of the ANC, doesn’t like the tactics of some of the... (full context)
Chapter 14
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...putting in place laws that force all South Africans to register their race. According to apartheid, people have to live in different areas by race. The party also greatly restricts the... (full context)
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...of the Defiance Campaign, when Mandela and other activists purposely begin to break the unjust apartheid laws, with many ending up in prison. The government responds harshly to the campaign, putting... (full context)
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...is suspended for two years. Although the Defiance Campaign succeeded in raising awareness against the apartheid laws, Mandela regrets allowing the campaign to fizzle out, rather than ending it at its... (full context)
Chapter 17
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest Theme Icon
...he hasn’t crossed before, saying that it might be necessary to use violence to stop apartheid. He believes that, while nonviolent resistance worked for Gandhi, his enemies were from a faraway... (full context)
Chapter 22
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...to spread the ANC platform, but the younger activists who want no part in any apartheid structure remind Mandela of his own younger self. Mandela also agrees that the government’s policies... (full context)
Chapter 31
Racism and Division Theme Icon
...based on ethnic group. This is part of groot, a state policy that means “grand apartheid.” Under the bantustan policy, 70 percent of South Africa’s people must live on 13 percent... (full context)
Chapter 46
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...pilot is African, but then he realizes that his expectations have just been warped by apartheid. (full context)
Chapter 98
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...Botha. When Mandela eventually meets de Klerk, he finds that de Klerk wants to modernize apartheid rather than abolish it, which is unacceptable to Mandela. Although many elements of de Klerk’s... (full context)
Chapter 99
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
On February 2, 1990, de Klerk finally begins to dismantle apartheid and set the stage for a democratic South Africa. As part of this plan, Mandela... (full context)
Chapter 100
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...Desmond Tutu. Mandela then leaves and gives a speech to a large crowd about how apartheid must end. Although he criticizes de Klerk, he calls him “a man of integrity,” which... (full context)
Chapter 101
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...have an important role to play in the liberation struggle, promising that anyone who opposes apartheid can join his movement. He spends the night with Winnie at their old address, but... (full context)
Chapter 102
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
...and speaking to crowds. After that he goes to Europe, thanking all of the international anti-apartheid activists during a concert in London at Wembley Stadium. (full context)
Chapter 115
Racism and Division Theme Icon
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon
The Value of Optimism Theme Icon
...reflects how much things have changed in South Africa during his lifetime. He believes that apartheid created a tremendous “wound” in the country, but it also had the unintended effect of... (full context)