Speaking shortly after the death of the civil rights leader was announced, Mr Obama said now is the time for people to pause and honor the fact 'that Nelson Mandela lived.
He said: 'Like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my life without the example that Nelson Mandela set,' Mr Obama said in the White House briefing room not long after Mandela's death was announced
'He achieved more than could be expected for any man and today he's gone home.’
President Barack Obama was one of the first world leaders to make a statement following Nelson Mandela's death
'Like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my life without the example that Nelson Mandela set,' Mr Obama said
'Madiba transformed South Africa and
moved all of us- his journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the
promise that humans can transform for the better.'
Mr Obama visited South Africa in June and met with the former president's family but did not personally meet with the ailing leader because his health was so poor at the time.
Mr Obama previously had a personal meeting when he was just a Senator.
He said that the very first political action in his life, let alone his career, was his participation in an anti-apartheid rally held in Mandela's honor.
'We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again, so it falls to us' to live by his example and 'make decisions not by hate but by love,' Mr Obama said in the press conference.
He said that the thoughts and prayers of the first family and the American people were with Mr Mandela's family.
'His life's work meant long days away from those who loved him most,' saying that he hoped they were able to value the last few months together.
Mr Obama visited South Africa in June and met with the former president's family but did not personally meet with the ailing leader because his health was so poor at the time.
Mr Obama previously had a personal meeting when he was just a Senator.
Mandela died today at the age of 95. His health took a turn earlier this summer
He said that the very first political action in his life, let alone his career, was his participation in an anti-apartheid rally held in Mandela's honor.
'We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again, so it falls to us' to live by his example and 'make decisions not by hate but by love,' Mr Obama said in the press conference.
He said that the thoughts and prayers of the first family and the American people were with Mr Mandela's family.
'His life's work meant long days away from those who loved him most,' saying that he hoped they were able to value the last few months together.
During a tour of Africa this summer, Mr Obama
and his family visited Robben Island where Mandela spent decades as a
political prisoner
Former South African president F.W. de Klerk, who was the last white president of the country before Mandela came to power, had nothing but praise for the 'father' of the country.
'He made reconciliation happen in South Africa,' Mr de Klerk told CNN
'There was an immediate I would say a spark between the two of us
'I always respected him and I always liked him as a person he was a magnanimous person, he was a compassionate person.
Former President Bill Clinton, who met with Mandela on a number of occasions and grew close with the elderly leader, released a statement on behalf of the Clinton family.
Former President Bill Clinton visited an ailing
Mandela earlier this year. The two are pictured above with former UK
Prime Minister Tony Blair at Westminster Hall in July 2003
'Today the world has lost one of its most important leaders and one of the finest human beings,' who was 'a champion for human dignity'.
'He proved that there is freedom in forgiving,t hat a free heart is bigger than a closed mind.'
Mr Mandela came to America to attend President Clinton's inauguration in 1994 and Mr Clinton visited the ailing leader earlier this year.
Presidents George W Bush and Jimmy Carter also responded to news of Madiba's death.
'President Mandela was one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time. He bore his burdens with dignity and grace, and our world is better off because of his example,' President Bush said. 'This good man will be missed, but his contributions will live on forever. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathy to President Mandela’s family and to the citizens of the nation he loved.'
Mourning: Former President George W Bush was one
of the first to issue a public statement following Nelson Mandela's
death earlier this evening. Above, the two world leaders meeting at the
White House in May 2005
President Carter mirrored Bush's sentiment, saying '[Mandela's] passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide.'
UK Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that the flag at No 10 Downing Street would be flown at half-mast.
'A great light has gone out in the world,' Mr Cameron said. 'Nelson Mandela was a hero of out time.'
UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon tweeted that he would never forget Mandela's 'selflessness and deep sense of shared purpose'.
Mandela died after his health took a turn earlier this summer. He was 95 years old.
PRESIDENT OBAMA MOURNS NELSON MANDELA'S PASSING
At
his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock
saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought
against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic
and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with
equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to
achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to
die.”
And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.
Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.
To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.
To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.
We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.
For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.
And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.
Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.
To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.
To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.
We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.
For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.
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