Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner
Christopher Paul "Chris" Gardneris an American entrepreneur, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher Gardner, Jr. Gardner's book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness, was published in May 2006. As of 2012, he is CEO of his own stockbrokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Co, based in Chicago, Illinois, where he resides when he is not living in Toronto. Gardner credits his tenacity and success to the...
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth9 February 1954
CityMilwaukee, WI
Then again, what seems like nothing in the eyes of the world, when properly valued and put to use, can be among the greatest riches.
Strong people stand up for themselves. Stronger people stand up for others. The irony is that while sleep sometimes brings nightmares, it's the reality of my waking hours that can cause me the greater fear.
No one ever laid out the sequence of events that led to my mother being prosecuted and imprisoned for alleged welfare fraud.
But if you don’t take the necessary steps to make them happen, dreams are just mirages that mess with your head!
You can only depend on yourself. The cavalry aint coming,
I was late once and it cost me $50,000. I figure it was cheaper to wear two watches.
If you have a dream, you've got to protect it.
Though my mom had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred and destroyed, she instilled in me that I could have dreams. And not just have dreams but had a responsibility to make them reality. My mom taught me from a very early age that I could do anything I wanted to do.
Always, always pursue happiness.
It can be done, but you have to make it happen.
It's ok to FAIL it's not ok to Quit
You know how mountains get moved? Everyone who can move a couple, move a couple. Those who can move rocks, move rocks. Those who can move boulders, move boulders. That's how mountains get moved. If every one of us did everything we could, I believe we would be in a different world.
Ready or not, Tell yourself to jump
The future was uncertain, absolutely, and there were many hurdles, twists, and turns to come, but as long as I kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, the voices of fear and shame, the messages from those who wanted me to believe that I wasn't good enough, would be stilled.