Harper, Obama and other leaders react to Mandela's death

"The world has lost one of its great moral leaders and statesmen. He demonstrated that the only path forward for the nation was to reject the appeal of bitterness."

“Today he’s gone home, and we’ve lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth.”

Read the full text from Obama's speech.

"There are few people who have done more to inspire the world than Nelson Mandela, and I am deeply saddened to learn of his death."

In an essay in TIME: “It certainly fell to Mandela to be great. His role in the movement against extreme poverty was critical. He worked for a deeper debt cancellation, for a doubling of international assistance across sub-Saharan Africa, for trade and private investment and transparency to fight corruption.”

“It was, for me, a great honour and a great privilege to have the occasion to spend many meetings with him, and to make him a Canadian citizen, an honorary citizen. I was extremely happy when he accepted. And you know, he is somebody that will be missed and somebody who will be remembered for a long, long time because of his humanity and his devotion to public life.”

"Some extraordinary women and men have the ability to steer their society toward a better tomorrow. Motivated by an insatiable thirst for justice, gifted with moral strength, intelligence, determination and exemplary courage, Nelson Mandela was one of those rare, exceptional beings. His struggle transformed the history of an entire continent.”

"With the example he set, incalculable personal courage and true leadership, Mandela literally transformed his country. Largely because of him, South Africa’s transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy was peaceful. It’s easy to forget it could have been very different."

“A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time.”

“Over the past 24 years Madiba taught us how to come together and to believe in ourselves and each other. He was a unifier from the moment he walked out of prison.”

“As president, I watched in wonder as Nelson Mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive his jailers following 26 years of wrongful imprisonment – setting a powerful example of redemption and grace for us all.”

“Nelson Mandela’s message will not disappear. It will continue to inspire fighters for freedom, and to give confidence to peoples in the defense of just causes and universal rights.”

Mandela was “one of the most honourable figures of our time ... a man of vision, a freedom fighter who rejected violence."

“Our people have lost a father. Although we knew this day was going to come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. ”