Emerging from prison without the force of arms he would -- like Abraham Lincoln -- hold his country together when it threaten to break apart and like America's founding fathers he would erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations A commitment to democracy and rule of law ratified not only by his election but by his willingness to step down from power after only one term Given the sweep of his life the scope of his accomplishments the adoration that he so rightly earned it's tempting -- I think -- to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon smilling and serene detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men but Madiba himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait [cheers]