Meet Nelson Mandela: The Long Game

Robben Island

Mandela entered prison a boxer and firebrand and spent twenty-seven years mastering the harder discipline: himself. He learned Afrikaans — his warders' language — studied their history, and turned guards into allies. 'Resentment,' he said, 'is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill your enemies.'

The Springbok jersey

Freed, he negotiated with the government that caged him; elected, he donned the Springbok rugby jersey — symbol of the oppressor — and handed the trophy to a white captain while the stadium chanted his name. Reconciliation wasn't softness; it was strategy, deployed by a man strong enough to afford it.

Why they belong at your table

Seat him about the grudge you're still carrying. Twenty-seven years earned him the right to tell you what it's costing.