Today
the world has lost one of its most important leaders and one of its
finest human beings. And Hillary, Chelsea and I have lost a true
friend.
History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for
human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation. We will
remember him as a man of uncommon grace and compassion, for whom
abandoning bitterness and embracing adversaries was not just a political
strategy but a way of life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Graça
and his family and to the people of South Africa. All of us are living
in a better world because of the life that Madiba lived. He proved that
there is freedom in forgiving, that a big heart is better than a closed
mind, and that life’s real victories must be shared.
