He met with many people in his lifetime, ones he liked, and ones he despised. However, he never showed any different emotions around people he disliked or the ones he liked. He learned this from being too close to a South African President F.W. de Klerk, as much as De Klerk appeared to enjoy Mandela, later on he ended up attacking him publicly about different issues that caught Mandela off guard. Kind of the start of the saying,”Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Mandela’s theory of keeping your friends close and your rivals closer show that even if trust is built between two sides, it doesn’t mean it will last forever. If there isn’t any trust there, then you have to keep a watchful eye over every move they make. By never completely trusting someone, you can always assure no matter who you know they won’t turn on you. That is why I believe Nelson Mandela is correct on this lesson.
Appearances matter — and remember to