2013年12月5日，南非前总统曼德拉因病逝世，享年95岁。美国总统奥巴马发表电视讲话悼念曼德拉。演讲中，奥巴马表示，如果没有曼德拉树立的榜样，“我完全无法想象自己的生活”。
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.