Magnanimity is easiest to understand by example: someone holds the advantage, could press it, and chooses generosity instead. These are moments from history and sport that are well documented by primary or reputable sources. Where a famous story is partly legend, we say so.
What counts here: We picked acts where the giver had power, a lead, or a grievance — and used it to lift up an opponent. That is the heart of the word (see what "magnanimous" means). Acts of pure compassion are included when they cost the giver something.
At a glance
| Year | Who | The magnanimous act |
|---|---|---|
| 1865 | Ulysses S. Grant | Generous surrender terms at Appomattox |
| 1865 | Abraham Lincoln | "With malice toward none" in the Second Inaugural |
| 1936 | Luz Long | Publicly befriended rival Jesse Owens in Berlin |
| 1964 | Eugenio Monti | Lent his bobsled bolt to the British rivals who beat him |
| 1988 | Lawrence Lemieux | Abandoned his Olympic sailing race to rescue capsized sailors |
| 1992 | Jim Redmond | Helped his injured son finish an Olympic 400m |
| 1995 | Nelson Mandela | Wore the Springbok jersey at the Rugby World Cup final |
| 2016 | Abbey D'Agostino & Nikki Hamblin | Helped each other finish after a fall in Rio |
| 2021 | Mutaz Barshim & Gianmarco Tamberi | Chose to share Olympic high-jump gold |
Grant at Appomattox (1865)
On April 9, 1865, Ulysses S. Grant set the terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender. There was no formal surrender treaty — just an exchange of short letters — and the terms were notable for what they didn't demand. Confederate soldiers would be paroled, not imprisoned, and allowed to go home, "not to be disturbed by United States authority" as long as they kept their paroles and obeyed local laws. Officers kept their side arms, private horses and baggage (National Park Service: Surrender Documents; Encyclopedia Virginia).
Why it's magnanimous: Grant had won outright. He used victory to begin reconciliation rather than humiliation, sending a defeated army home with its dignity.
Lincoln's "malice toward none" (1865)
A month earlier, on March 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln took the oath for a second term with the war nearly won. He could have delivered a victory speech. Instead his closing paragraph began "With malice toward none, with charity for all," and asked the nation "to bind up the nation's wounds" and seek "a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." He was assassinated 41 days later. The speech is carved into the north wall of the Lincoln Memorial (National Park Service: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address).
Why it's magnanimous: it refused to gloat over the defeated and framed peace as shared work.
Luz Long and Jesse Owens (1936)
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, German long jumper Luz Long was Jesse Owens's main rival in front of a Nazi crowd. Cameras captured Long walking over to embrace Owens during the competition, and the two became friends. Owens later said it "took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler" and spoke of "the 24-karat friendship" he felt. Long was killed in action in Sicily on July 14, 1943. Before he died he wrote to Owens asking him to find his son and "tell him how things can be between men on this earth." Owens met the boy in Germany in 1951 and later was best man at his wedding (HistoryNet). Long was posthumously honored with the Pierre de Coubertin medal for sportsmanship (Mental Floss).
Legend vs. record: The popular story that Long gave Owens a tip about moving his takeoff mark after two fouls is disputed; historians describe that detail as shrouded in myth (HistoryNet). The friendship itself is well documented.
Eugenio Monti's bolt (1964)
At the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, Britain's two-man bobsled team of Tony Nash and Robin Dixon broke a bolt on their sled. Italy's Eugenio Monti, a rival favored to win, gave them a bolt from his own sled. Nash and Dixon won gold; Monti's team finished third. Asked about it, Monti said: "Nash didn't win the gold medal because I gave him a bolt. He won because he was the fastest" (Mental Floss). The International Fair Play Committee presented him the first Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Trophy at its inaugural ceremony on January 29, 1965 (International Fair Play Committee: history).
Lawrence Lemieux leaves the race (1988)
At the Seoul Olympics, Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux abandoned his own race to rescue two capsized Singaporean sailors, waiting with them until help arrived. He finished 11th but was credited with second place in that race, and was later honored with the Pierre de Coubertin medal (Mental Floss).
Derek and Jim Redmond (1992)
In the 400m semi-final at the Barcelona Olympics, Britain's Derek Redmond tore his hamstring on the back straight. Rather than accept a stretcher, he tried to hobble to the finish. His father, Jim, pushed past officials onto the track, held him up, and they crossed the line together to a standing ovation. "Whatever happened, he had to finish and I was going to help him finish," Jim later told the BBC (NBC News). This one is compassion more than magnanimity toward a rival — but it's a reminder that the finish matters to people, and that helping someone get there is its own kind of greatness.
Nelson Mandela and the Springboks (1995)
More than any other sport in South Africa, rugby and its Springbok emblem were associated with segregation, and after apartheid ended there was pressure to drop the emblem altogether. Mandela chose to embrace it instead. When South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, President Nelson Mandela walked onto the pitch wearing the jersey of Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, greeting the team before and after the final, which South Africa won against New Zealand in extra time. The gesture presented the team as belonging to all South Africans (The Conversation).
Keep it honest: The same analysis notes that the film Invictus stretches the reality, that the long-term impact on the country is debatable, and that the squad remained predominantly white. The gesture was a powerful act of reconciliation, not a cure-all.
Abbey D'Agostino and Nikki Hamblin (2016)
In the women's 5,000m at the Rio Olympics on August 16, 2016, New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin and American Abbey D'Agostino collided and fell. They helped each other up and kept going; D'Agostino, it turned out, had torn knee ligaments, and the two finished together (Dartmouth). Both were awarded the International Fair Play Committee Award, presented in Rio by IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel (New Zealand Olympic Committee).
"Can we have two golds?" (2021)
On August 1, 2021, in the Tokyo Olympics high jump final, Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi had both cleared 2.37m without a miss, then both failed three times at 2.39m. An official offered a jump-off. Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?" Told it was possible, the longtime friends embraced and shared the title (Reuters via Nippon.com; NPR via KUNC).
Why it's magnanimous: either man might have won a jump-off. Both decided the other deserved gold as much as he did.
What these moments have in common
- The giver had leverage. A winning general, a favored bobsledder, a president with the power to punish.
- It cost something. A medal chance, a race, political capital.
- It treated the rival as a peer. Not charity from above, but respect.
- It was public but not showy. These acts are remembered because they were sincere, not staged.
You won't face Appomattox, but you will face a game you won, an argument you could keep winning, or a colleague who got credit you deserved. Our guide to winning and losing graciously turns these lessons into practical habits, and our kindness ideas list has smaller everyday versions.
Frequently asked questions
What is a famous example of magnanimity?
Ulysses S. Grant's terms at Appomattox in 1865 are a classic example: he let defeated Confederate soldiers go home on parole, and officers keep their side arms and horses, rather than imposing humiliating terms.
What is the Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Trophy?
It's an award from the International Fair Play Committee for an act of fair play. The first one went to Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti, presented on January 29, 1965, for lending a bolt to his British rivals at the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Did Luz Long really give Jesse Owens advice?
That part of the story is disputed and may be legend. What is well documented is that Long openly befriended Owens in Berlin and that their friendship continued through letters.
Why did Barshim and Tamberi share the gold?
After both failed at 2.39m with identical records, they were offered a jump-off. Barshim asked whether both could take gold, and when officials said yes, they agreed to share it.
Sources
- National Park Service — Appomattox: Surrender Documents
- Encyclopedia Virginia — Surrender at Appomattox
- National Park Service — Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
- HistoryNet — Jesse Owens and Luz Long's unlikely friendship
- Mental Floss — The fourth type of Olympic medal and people who have won it
- International Fair Play Committee — CIFP history
- NBC News — Jim Redmond, who helped his injured son cross the finish line, dies at 81
- The Conversation — Mandela saw sport as a way to bring South Africans together
- Dartmouth — Olympic Committee honors D'Agostino '14 for fair play
- New Zealand Olympic Committee — Nikki Hamblin awarded the International Fair Play Committee Award
- Reuters via Nippon.com — "Can we have two golds?" Barshim, Tamberi share high jump win
- NPR via KUNC — Barshim and Tamberi share the gold medal