As the first Black president of South Africa and a lifelong anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela faced more than his share of seemingly impossible challenges. Over his lifetime, he spent a total of 27 years in prison for fighting against the country’s institutionalized racial oppression. In 1993, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, and was sworn in as president of South Africa only a year later. Here, he encourages us to keep pushing toward our goals, even when we are discouraged: That determination can often trigger the turning point we’ve been waiting for.