9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you so much. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To President Zuma and members of the government; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to heads of states and goverments[br]-- past and present -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 distinguished guests. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It is a singular honor to be with you today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to celebrate a life like no other 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To the people of South Africa 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 People of every race and every walk of life 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 His struggle was your struggle 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his triumph was your triumph, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 your dignity and your hope found expression in his life and your freedom 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Your democracy 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's his cherished legacy 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It is hard to eulogize any man 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to capture in words 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 not just the facts and the dates that make a life 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but the essential truth of a person 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the private joys and sorrows 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the quiet moments and uniue qualities that illuminate someone's soul 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 How much harder to do so for a giant of history 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who moved a nation towards justice 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and in the process moved billions around the world 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Born during the World War I 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fired from court orders of power 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by the elders of his Mambu tribe 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistence movement 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a movement that at the start had little prospect for success 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Like Dr. King, he would give potent voice 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to the claims of the oppressed 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the moral necessity of racial justice 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He would endure a brutal 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 imprisonment that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and reached the final days of the cold war 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Emerging from prison without the force of arms 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he would, like Abraham Lincoln, hold his country together 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when it threaten to break apart 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and like America's founding fathers he would erect 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 A commitment to democracy and rule of law 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 ratified not only by his election 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but by his willingness to step down from power after only one term 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Given the sweep of his life 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the scope of his accomplishments 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the adoration that he so rightly earned 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's tempting, I think, to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon, smilling and serene 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but Madiba himself strongly resisted 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 such a lifeless portrait 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Instead, Madiba insisted on sharing with us his doubts and his fears 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his miscalculations along with his victories 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "I am not a saint", he said 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because he could be so full of good humour 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 even mischief, despite the heavy burdens that he carried 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that we loved him so. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was not a bust made of marble, he was a man of flesh and blood 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a son and a husband 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a father and a friend 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that's why we learned so much from him 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that's why we can learn from him still 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For nothing he achieved was inevitable 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the arch of his life we see a man 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who earned his place in history through struggle 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and shrewdness and persistance and faith 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he tells us what is possible 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 not just in the pages of history books 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but in our own lives as well. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mandela showed us the power of action 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of taking risks on behalf of our ideas 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Perhaps Mandela was right that he "inherited a proud rebelliousness 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a stubborn sense of fairness" from his father 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we know he shared with millions of black and coloured Southafricans 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "the anger born of a thousand slights 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a desire to fight the system that imprisoned 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my people", he said 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But like other early giants of the ANC 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Zulus and the Tambos, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Madiba disciplined his anger 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and channelled his desire to fight into organization 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and platforms and strategies for action 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so men and women could stand up 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for the God given dignity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Moreover, he accepted the consequences of his actions 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 knowing that standing up to powerful interests and injustice carries a price 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "I've fought against white domination I've fought against black domination. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I've cherished the idea of a democratic and free society 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but if needs be it's an ideal for which I am prepared to die." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mandela taught us the power of action 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but he also taught us the power of ideas 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the importance of reason and arguments 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the need to study not only those who you agree with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also those you don't agree with. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or extinguished by a sniper's bullet 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because of his eloquence and his passion 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also because of his training as an advocate 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He used decades of prison to sharpen his arguments 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also to spread his thirst for knowledge to others in the movement 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he learned the language and the customs of his oppresors 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so that one day he might better convey to them 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how their own freedom depend upon his. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mandela has demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 no matter how right 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they must also be ciselled in the laws and institutions 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was practical, testing his beliefs 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 against the hard surface of circumstance and history 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 On core principles he was unyielding 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which is why he could rebuff offers of unconditional release 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 reminding the aparthaid regime 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that "prisoners cannot enter into contracts." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But as he showed in painstaking negotiations 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to transfer power and draft new laws 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He was not afraid to compromise for the sake of a larger goal 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And because he was not only a leader of a movement but a skilful politician 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the constitution that emerged was worthy of this multi-racial democracy 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 true to his vision of laws to protect minority 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as well as majority rights and the precious freedom of every Southafrican 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And finally Mandela uderstood 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the ties that bind the human spirit. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There is a word in Southafrican 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Ubuntu 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 A word that captures Mandela's greatest gift: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his recognition that we are all bound together in ways 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that are invisible to the eye 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that there is a oneness to humanity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that we achieve ourselves by sharing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 ourselves with others and caring for those around us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But we remember the gestures -- large and small -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 introducing his jailers as honored guests at an inauguration; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 taking a pitch in a springbok uniform; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 turning his family's heartbreak into a call to confront HIV-AIDS 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that reveal the depths of his empathy and his understanding 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He not only embodied ubuntu he taught millions 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to find that truth within themselves. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It took a man like Madiba to free 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 not just the prisoner but the jailer as well 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to show that you must trust 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 others so that they may trust you 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He changed laws 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but he also changed hearts 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For the people of South Africa 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for those he inspired around the globe 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but his passing is rightly a time of mourning 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and a time to celebrate a heroic life 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But I believe it should also prompt in each of us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a time for self-reflection with honesty 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 regardless of our station or circumstance 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we must ask: "How well have I applied 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his lessons in my own life?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's a question I ask myself 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as a man and as a president 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We know that white South Africa 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the United States had overcome centuries of racial subjugation 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 As was true here, it took sacrifice, the sacrifices of countless people 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 -- known and unknown -- to see the dawn of a new day 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But in America and in South Africa and in countries all around the globe 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that our work is not yet done 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that came before but they are not less important 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For around the world today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we still children suffering from hunger and disease 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we still see run down schools 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we still see young people without prospects for the future. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Around the world today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 men and women are still imprisoned [br]for their political believes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and are still persecuted for what they look like 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how they worship, and who they love 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that is happening today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And so we, too, must act on behalf of justice 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We, too, must act on behalf of peace 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There are too many people who happily embrace 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation but 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 passionately resist even modest reforms. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that would challange chronic property and growing inequality 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There are too many leaders who claim solidarity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with Madiba's struggle for freedom but do not tolerate 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the same for their own people 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And there are too many of us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 too many of us on the side lines 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 comfortable in complacency or cynicism 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when our voices must be heard 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The questions we face today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how to promote equality and justice; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how to uphold freedom and human rights; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how to end a conflict and sectarian war 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 these things do not have easy answers 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But there were no easy answers 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in front of that child born in World War I 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Nelson Mandela reminds us that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it always seems impossible until it is done 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 South Africa shows that it is true 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 South Africa shows we can change 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that we can choose a world defined not by our differences 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [br]but by our common hopes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we can choose a world defined not by conflict 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but by peace and justice and opportunity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We will never see 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the likes of Nelson Mandela again 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 well I may say that the young people of Africa 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the young people around the world 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you, too, can make his life's work your own 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Over thirty years ago, while still a student 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I learned of Nelson Mandela 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and it stirred something in me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it woke me up to my responsibilities 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 -- to others and to myself -- and set me on an improbable journey 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that finds me here today 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and while I will always fall short of Madiba's 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 example he makes me want to be a better man 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [cheers] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He speaks 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to what is best inside us 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 After this great liberator is laid to rest 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we've return to our cities and villages 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and rejoined our daily routines 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 let us search for his strength 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 let us search for his largeness of spirit 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 somewhere inside of ourselves 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and when the night grows dark 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when injustice weights heavy on our hearts 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when our best laid plans seem beyond our reach 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 let us think of Madiba 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the words that brought him comfort within the 4 walls of his cell: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "It matters not how streight the gate, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 how charged the punishment the scroll 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I am the master of my fate, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I am the captain of my soul." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 What a magnificent soul it was. We will miss him deeply 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 May God bless the people of South Africa.