Nelson Mandela memorial: Barack Obama's speech in full

AT HIS TRIAL IN 1964, MANDELA SAID “ I HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST WHITE DOMINATION. I HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST BLACK DOMINATION. I HAVE 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 AND TO ACHIEVE..  BUT IT IS AND IDEAL FOR WHICH I AM

PREPARED TO DIE .”

December 10, 2013 -- Updated 1349 GMT (2149 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• President Barack Obama: "The world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us"
• "He would erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations," he said
• Obama: "Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done"
• "Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit," said the President

Editor's note: Below is the full transcript of U.S. President Barack Obama's speech at Nelson Mandela's memorial on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) -- To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of state and government, past and present; distinguished guests -- it is a singular honor to be with you today, to celebrate a life unlike any other.

To the people of South Africa -- people of every race and walk of life -- the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph. Your dignity and hope found expression in his life, and your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy.

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 elders of his Thembu tribe -- Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century.