It was democracy in its purest form."
-- Mandela (Part One: A Country Childhood)

Importance: Here, Mandela describes the tribal meetings that he witnesses at the Great Place in the Transkei as "democracy in its purest form." This quote is evidence of Mandela's early attention to political forms and institutions, and the ways that these political agreements structure human interactions. It also anticipate Mandela's later role in bringing democracy to South Africa.

I was then just twenty-three years old and just finding my feet as a man, as a resident of Johannesburg and as an employee of a white firm, and I saw the middle path as the best and most reasonable one."
-- Mandela (Part Two: Johannesburg)

Importance: This quote describes the young Mandela's early outlook on life, especially his aversion to politics, which he sees as disruptive and destabilizing. While Mandela's political opinions will change as he ages, this quote nonetheless reflects his characteristic pragmatism.

...now the white man had felt the...
-- Mandela (Part Three: Birth of a Freedom Fighter )