President Barack Obama Thursday eulogized Nelson Mandela as “a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice.” 
 
 Obama, speaking shortly after South African President Jacob Zuma announced Mandela’s death, called the man for so long known as Prisoner 46664 as “one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth.” 
 
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 “We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again — so it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love, to never discount the difference that one person can make, to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.” 
 
 (VIDEO: Nelson Mandela, a look back) 
 
 The president is expected to travel to South Africa for the state funeral, which has not yet been scheduled. National security staff told Obama in the Oval Office of Mandela’s death shortly before 5 p.m. EST, White House officials said. 
 
 Obama ordered American flags lowered to half staff through Monday in recognition that “the United States has lost a close friend, South Africa has lost an incomparable liberator, and the world has lost an inspiration for freedom, justice, and human dignity.” 
 
 He reiterated these sentiments to Zuma in a phone call Thursday evening, offering his condolences on behalf of the nation, and speaking of “how profoundly Mandela’s extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility influenced his own life” and of the deep relationship between the United States and South Africa, the White House said. 
 
 (PHOTOS: Nelson Mandela’s life and career) 
 
 Mandela is the father of modern South Africa, and Obama addressed part of his remarks to the people of that nation as well, praising them for being an example to the world of “renewal and reconciliation and resilience.” 
 
 Beginning his statement at the White House by reading a quote from Mandela, the president spoke for just a few minutes, reflecting on Mandela’s impact on the world — and on him personally. Obama spoke of how reading Mandela shaped his thinking about who he was and who would want to be, recalling that his own entry into politics was a speech at an anti-apartheid, South African divestment rally. 
 
 “I am one of the countless millions who drew inspirations from Nelson Mandela’s life,” Obama said. “I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set. So long as I live, I will do what I can to learn from him.” 
 
 The two met just once, and briefly — in Washington in 2005, when the just-elected Senator Obama pushed for a meeting with the former president, and was initially rebuffed — but did produce a well-known photo of Obama leaning over a seated Mandela, holding his hand, one in the shadow, one in the light. 
 
 Obama did not meet with him when he traveled to South Africa a year later, but Mandela sent Obama a letter after his election calling it a measure of what was possible in the world, and the two spoke occasionally over the phone in the years since. 
 
 A Mandela health scare halted plans for a possible meeting when Obama returned to South Africa this past summer. But Obama visited Mandela’s old cell at Robben Island and met with Mandela’s family, and in a speech while in the country, praised the leader for showing “us that one man’s courage can move the world.” 
 
 Carrie Budoff Brown contributed. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US President Barack Obama said Nelson Mandela lived "a life like no other" 
 
 Tens of thousands of South Africans have joined dozens of world leaders for the national memorial service for former President Nelson Mandela. 
 
 The service was held in front of a vociferous crowd in the FNB stadium in Johannesburg. 
 
 US President Barack Obama said Mr Mandela was a "giant of history", describing him as the last great liberator of the 20th Century. 
 
 The former South African president died last Thursday, aged 95. 
 
 The country is observing a series of commemorations leading up to the funeral on Sunday. 
 
 At the scene "It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner but the jailer," US President Barack Obama said, to a standing ovation. He said Nelson Mandela embodied the spirit of "uBuntu", which means "I am because you are". Thousands braved the unseasonably cold weather and rain to pay their respects to the country's first black president at the FNB stadium in Soweto. This is where he addressed the nation on the day of his release in 1990. The crowds were in high spirits but were asked to "behave" after booing President Jacob Zuma a number of times. But despite a difficult start, President Zuma delivered his message, describing Madiba as "truly one of a kind". He said Mr Mandela was a kind man but had a sharp tongue, especially when it came to something he believed in. Mr Zuma will have been relieved to hear some cheering at the end of the speech. Mandela memorial binds South Africans 
 
 'A mighty life' 
 
 The memorial service, which began at about 12:00 (10:00 GMT), lasted about four hours. 
 
 It was one of the biggest gatherings of international dignitaries in recent years, with more than 100 current or former heads of state or government attending. 
 
 There had been fears people would be turned away. But with heavy rain, security and transport issues, and the fact that Tuesday was not declared a national holiday, areas of the 95,000-capacity stadium remained empty. 
 
 Introducing the proceedings, the master of ceremonies, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that Mr Mandela's "long walk is over... and he can finally rest". 
 
 Current South African President Jacob Zuma made the keynote address but was booed in some parts of the ceremony. 
 
 He said Mr Mandela was "one of a kind... a fearless freedom fighter who refused to allow the brutality of the apartheid state to stand in way of the struggle for the liberation of his people". 
 
 Mr Zuma announced he was renaming the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where Mr Mandela will lie in state, as the Mandela Amphitheatre. 
 
 Earlier Mr Obama delivered his address, carried on the White House web site, to huge cheers. He said: "It is hard to eulogise any man... how much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation towards justice." 
 
 He said Nelson Mandela had taught the world the power of action and the power of ideas, and that it had taken a man like Mr Mandela to free not only the prisoner but also the jailer. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Christian Parkinson spent a day with crowds travelling to the memorial 
 
 Mr Obama said: "We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba (Mr Mandela's clan name), he makes me want to be a better man." 
 
 On his way to the podium, President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century. 
 
 A White House official later said the two had not planned to meet. 
 
 "This wasn't a pre-planned encounter," the official said, quoted by AFP news agency. 
 
 "Above all else, today is about honouring Nelson Mandela, and that was the president's singular focus at the memorial service. We appreciate that people from all over the world are participating in this ceremony." 
 
 Image caption Barack Obama was cheered as he acknowledged the crowd 
 
 Image caption Thousands attended the memorial service, but rain, transport arrangements and the fact that Tuesday was not a national holiday meant many seats in the stadium went unfilled 
 
 Image caption Ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela hugged Mr Mandela's widow Graca Machel 
 
 In his address, Mr Castro paid tribute to Mr Mandela as the "ultimate symbol of dignity and the revolutionary struggle". 
 
 Under his brother, Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic of apartheid, and Mr Mandela had expressed gratitude for that support. 
 
 In his speech, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there was "sorrow for a mighty loss and celebration of a mighty life". 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US President Obama shakes hands with Cuban President Raul Castro on his way to the podium 
 
 He said: "South Africa has lost a hero, it has lost a father... He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much and was willing to give up all he had for freedom and democracy." 
 
 The first speaker, friend and fellow Robben Island inmate Andrew Mlangeni, said Mr Mandela had "created hope when there was none". 
 
 Many people stood in the rain waiting for several hours to get into the stadium, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports from the scene. 
 
 She says the crowds were in high spirits - singing and dancing, stomping their feet - and the stadium had the feel of a political rally. 
 
 Rather than seeing the rain as a dampener, many in South Africa have welcomed it. 
 
 Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said: "It's a blessing from the ancestors welcoming a son of the soil." 
 
 Analysis That Jacob Zuma was booed at the Nelson Mandela memorial is unfortunate. This was not an occasion to take pot shots. But it shows that South Africa is a robust democracy - such booing would not have been tolerated in many other countries. People would have been too afraid to voice their rage at the president. Nevertheless, Mr Zuma ought to be worried - will it be the death knell for his political career? He is due to lead the ANC into elections next year. A faction is bound to lobby for him to be ousted, in favour of Cyril Ramaphosa, his deputy in the party. Acting as master of ceremonies, Mr Ramaphosa received a far better reception from the crowd. He was next to Mr Mandela when he was released from prison in 1990, and was the chief architect of South Africa's democratic constitution. At the time, he was widely seen as Mr Mandela's heir but was outmanoeuvred in the political chess game within the ANC to choose the legend's successor. 
 
 One of those attending, Shahida Rowe from Johannesburg, told the BBC: "The core of Mandela's life was humanity. That is why I am here today and the world is celebrating. 
 
 "Thanks to him, I was recognised as a human being." 
 
 Mr Mandela's widow, Graca Machel, arrived at the stadium to huge cheers as she was shown on the big screen. 
 
 There were cheers too of "Winnie! Winnie!" for ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who hugged and kissed Graca Machel. 
 
 Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee also made speeches. 
 
 The ceremony was closed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who asked the crowd to rise to their feet for a final tribute. 
 
 The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Johannesburg says the line-up of world leaders is a sign of how South Africa has seen its partners and place in the world since Nelson Mandela became president. 
 
 But, he adds, today is as personal as it is political - a recognition that there are lessons for the wider world in everything Nelson Mandela sought to achieve. 
 
 Image caption Mr Mandela made his final major public appearance at the stadium at the 2010 football World Cup 
 
 Image caption More than 100 current or former heads of state or government will attend the funeral or the national memorial 
 
 Image caption President Jacob Zuma suffered the indignity of some booing 
 
 Image caption Singer Bono and South African actress Charlize Theron attended the ceremony 
 
 British Prime Minister David Cameron attended Tuesday's memorial, along with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and former British Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major. 
 
 Three former US presidents, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, were also there, as were Francois Hollande of France, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. 
 
 Other mourners in attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Sir Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel. 
 
 Mr Mandela's body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days. 
 
 The state funeral takes place on Sunday in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province. ||||| [Watch the speech with the transcript and analysis here] 
 
 It is hard to eulogize any man -- to capture in words not just the facts and the dates that make a life, but the essential truth of a person -- their private joys and sorrows; the quiet moments and unique qualities that illuminate someone’s soul. How much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation toward justice, and in the process moved billions around the world. 
 
 Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by the elders of his Thembu tribe, Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement -- a movement that at its start had little prospect for success. Like Dr. King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed and the moral necessity of racial justice. He would endure a brutal imprisonment that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev, and reached the final days of the Cold War. Emerging from prison, without the force of arms, he would -- like Abraham Lincoln -- hold his country together when it threatened 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, smiling and serene, detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men. But Madiba himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait. Instead, Madiba insisted on sharing with us his doubts and his fears; his miscalculations along with his victories. “I am not a saint,” he said, “unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” 
 
 It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection -- because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried -- that we loved him so. He was not a bust made of marble; he was a man of flesh and blood -- a son and a husband, a father and a friend. And that’s why we learned so much from him, and that’s why we can learn from him still. For nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, and persistence and faith. He tells us what is possible not just in the pages of history books, but in our own lives as well. 
 
 Mandela showed us the power of action; of taking risks on behalf of our ideals. Perhaps Madiba was right that he inherited, “a proud rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness” from his father. And we know he shared with millions of black and colored South Africans the anger born of, “a thousand slights, a thousand indignities, a thousand unremembered moments…a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people,” he said. 
 
 But like other early giants of the ANC -- the Sisulus and Tambos -- Madiba disciplined his anger and channeled his desire to fight into organization, and platforms, and strategies for action, so men and women could stand up for their God-given dignity. Moreover, he accepted the consequences of his actions, knowing that standing up to powerful interests and injustice carries a price. “I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I’ve cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and [with] equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” 
 
 Mandela taught us the power of action, but he also taught us the power of ideas; the importance of reason and arguments; the need to study not only those who you agree with, but also those who you don’t agree with. He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls, or extinguished by a sniper’s bullet. He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid because of his eloquence and his passion, but also because of his training as an advocate. He used decades in prison to sharpen his arguments, but also to spread his thirst for knowledge to others in the movement. And he learned the language and the customs of his oppressor so that one day he might better convey to them how their own freedom depend upon his. 
 
 Mandela demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough. No matter how right, they must be chiseled into law and institutions. He was practical, testing his beliefs against the hard surface of circumstance and history. On core principles he was unyielding, which is why he could rebuff offers of unconditional release, reminding the Apartheid regime that “prisoners cannot enter into contracts.” 
 
 But as he showed in painstaking negotiations to transfer power and draft new laws, he was not afraid to compromise for the sake of a larger goal. And because he was not only a leader of a movement but a skillful politician, the Constitution that emerged was worthy of this multiracial democracy, true to his vision of laws that protect minority as well as majority rights, and the precious freedoms of every South African. 
 
 And finally, Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa -- Ubuntu -- a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. 
 
 We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him, or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small -- introducing his jailers as honored guests at his inauguration; taking a pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS -- that revealed the depth of his empathy and his understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves. 
 
 It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth. He changed laws, but he also changed hearts. 
 
 For the people of South Africa, for those he inspired around the globe, Madiba’s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate a heroic life. But I believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or our circumstance, we must ask: How well have I applied his lessons in my own life? It’s a question I ask myself, as a man and as a President. 
 
 We know that, like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took sacrifice -- the sacrifice of countless people, known and unknown, to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle. But in America, and in South Africa, and in countries all around the globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not yet done. 
 
 The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality or universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important. For around the world today, we still see children suffering from hunger and disease. We still see run-down schools. We still see young people without prospects for the future. Around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs, and are still persecuted for what they look like, and how they worship, and who they love. That is happening today. 
 
 And so we, too, must act on behalf of justice. We, too, must act on behalf of peace. There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. And there are too many of us on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism when our voices must be heard. 
 
 The questions we face today -- how to promote equality and justice; how to uphold freedom and human rights; how to end conflict and sectarian war -- these things do not have easy answers. But there were no easy answers in front of that child born in World War I. Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done. South Africa shows that is true. South Africa shows we can change, that we can choose a world defined not by our differences, but by our common hopes. We can choose a world defined not by conflict, but by peace and justice and opportunity. 
 
 We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. But let me say to the young people of Africa and the young people around the world -- you, too, can make his life’s work your own. Over 30 years ago, while still a student, I learned of Nelson Mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land, and it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself, and it set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be a better man. He speaks to what’s best inside us. 
 
 After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we have returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength. Let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, when our best-laid plans seem beyond our reach, let us think of Madiba and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of his cell: “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” 
 
 What a magnificent soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa.
– President Obama today paid homage to Nelson Mandela shortly after the former South African leader's death was announced, reports Politico and AP. "He no longer belongs to us," said Obama. "He belongs to the ages." Some other highlights: Mandela was “a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice.” “We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again—so it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love, to never discount the difference that one person can make, to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice." “I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set. So long as I live, I will do what I can to learn from him.” Other tributes: Music: Billboard rounds up 10 musical salutes to Mandela, from Bono to Public Enemy. Jimmy Carter: "His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide, and because of him, South Africa is today one of the world's leading democracies." Tony Blair: "Through his dignity, grace, and the quality of his forgiveness, he made racism everywhere not just immoral but stupid." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon: "Only because of such a great man like Nelson Mandela is it possible that particular people in Africa and elsewhere are able to enjoy freedom and human dignity."