Chris Gardner is a man who grew up on the streets of Seattle and is now worth millions.
If you haven’t watched “The Pursuit of Happiness” yet, you’ll want to right away before it airs on tv!
Gardner is an entrepreneur who has had a long time to make something of his life but he was not successful. Will Smith plays the role of Chris and it is well-worth watching. I know you will agree with me.
I want to be remembered as a guy who spent his time trying to do what was right for people.
41 Motivational Chris Gardner Quotes
I felt like I had a mission when I was a kid. My family was always telling me that if I wanted to win my father would be right there with me.
If you have a big dream, you have to make sure you protect it.
No matter how much money or time you’re spending or how easy it would be to do, if you’re not happy with what you’re doing, you’re just a slave to your talent and money.
Your passion is the most important thing to you, and it is very difficult to do the tasks you set your heart on without passion.
My life can sometimes be a rollercoaster. One minute I might feel like a lion, the next a lamb. I have had moments of great success, and then some awful failure.
I’ve always had it in my mind that everything in this world is cyclical. My life in the public eye was once very simple. Now I am more exposed than ever. My life is constantly changing, and not always for the better. With that in mind, I cannot say I feel like a lion, but a frightened lamb. I’m not afraid, but I am aware.
6th of 41 Chris Gardner Quotes
One of the many reasons I like this quote is because it shows a fundamental difference between living and merely existing. Living has a purpose, while merely existing is about fulfilling desires without having a reason. And the first step to living is to recognize you are living, and the second step is to identify your purpose. And with a purpose comes a reason, a cause, an end, and a means.
Chris Gardner, who was an Olympic rower and world-record holder, was on track to become the first American male to win a gold medal in swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – only to be disqualified for an illegal breaststroke kick. At the time, Gardner was the fastest swimmer in the world. He decided to give up competitive swimming, instead studying law at USC, working at NASA, and winning a gold medal in triathlon. As a result, he is regarded as one of the greatest American Olympians of all time.
Other people can judge you on your qualifications, your credentials, your job, and all the papers you have and all the degrees you have earned. They can judge you on your pedigree and all your accomplishments. But what is inside you no one can take away from you and tarnish.
The world is full of people who live off the public’s hard work. These people have no value, and no intention of changing their ways.
How many of you know the song “I’m A Believer” by the one of the greatest bands of all time: the Monkees?
The song was a huge hit, and I was really hoping this week’s word would be the word – “Believer.”
It’s not.
Many people get distracted or bogged down by the “paper” part so the first thing you need to develop is your confidence and feeling of self-worth.
This is a piece of nonficition. I have rendered the events faithfully and truthfully just as I have recalled them.
Some names and descriptions of individuals have been changed in order to respect their privacy.
Your ultimate goal should be to find something you enjoy doing so much that you can’t wait for the morning so you can do it all over again.
In “The Pursuit of Happiness” one of the character’s believes that he holds dearer than all else is his son, that he will do anything to keep him safe. This is a noble sentiment, but it is not a good one. It’s not what you should be holding dearer than all else.
16th of 41 Chris Gardner Quotes
People are not capable of doing something on their own, they need someone to tell them what to do and how to do it, because they are lazy and don’t want to do what they should do. The only thing that will get you there is if you’re tired of being a victim and want to fight back.
Do something that you love. Whatever you’re going to do is going to be tough enough. Find something that you’re passionate about and that gets you so excited that the sun can’t come up early enough in the morning because you want to go do your thing.
Happiness is the most important thing in life. You should always pursue it.
This is the best advice I can give you. Do something that makes you happy and something that makes you feel good about yourself.
The basic of success is blocking and tackling. The basic of success is to not have a head coach that gives up on the game. I think it’s the same thing with playing on Friday night. You have to be able to play the first game of the season on Friday night if you are going to have a good season. The basic of success is that you have to block and tackle. The basic of winning a championship is not trying to be a great team; it’s being a great team.
I’ve always had a lot of dreams and aspirations, which I’ve never been able to realize. But this is different because I’m choosing to be more ambitious and to really dream bigger.
It’s hard to imagine a film with a bigger, heavier heart than Chris Gardner’s “The Pursuit of Happyness,” an underdog story about a man who makes a living hustling to make ends meet and finds something much bigger in life.
It’s easy to start small to make your movement more efficient. Instead of a giant boulder, move a couple smaller boulders and then a few more, until you get the right number of boulders moved. As a side effect, you’ll also have your movement feel more natural.
Find something that you love. I want to do something new. I want to become successful in this industry. I want to be successful by doing something new.
25th of 41 Chris Gardner Quotes
The original quote is “don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something” but that would be too long so the paraphrase is one of my favorites.
I didn’t just go backwards, I went in a complete circle, but I don’t want to get into that. I’m talking about small strides and baby steps, and it doesn’t have to be running.
It can be done, but you need to make it happen.
[Original, Paraphrase]: The original title of this lesson is “It can be done, but you have to make it happen.” This is my paraphrase of the original message.28. “If you are in debt, you are in a very tight place and the balance in your life is more important than the balance in your checking account.
Chris Gardner said there was a language specific to all things and the ability to learn another language in one arena, whether it was music, medicine, or finance could be used to accelerate learning and other arenas.
You don’t need to do things perfectly, since perfection is not a realistic goal. Instead, focus on completing the task. The sooner you achieve what you set out to do, the more success you’ll have. You may not be able to achieve perfection, but you can strive for excellence.
In order to be truly spiritually connected, one must embrace one’s spiritual genetics. This means acknowledging and accepting what one is spiritually gifted at and committing to it. This will allow one to be a fully integrated and empowered being.
It was the third time the couple had missed their train connection. They had been charged $50,000 for the inconvenience, and the airline offered them another flight for free, which they declined.
I’m afraid of people. I am afraid to start a business because of fear that it will fail, I am afraid to go to a certain country because of fear of not being welcome, I’m afraid of leaving my comfort zone of my life because I am afraid that I will not succeed. I am afraid to do anything because of fear of failure.
“Every day is a new day. Do something new. Discover something new. Be someone new.” – Neil Gaiman.
I take great offense that the world has lost my dreams. I am not responsible for your mind and so this means that I will make your dreams come true.
I am a big believer that your dreams are a gift that you give yourself. So if you don’t make them happen, they are stolen from you. Dream big and make it happen!
36th of 41 Chris Gardner Quotes
I was once homeless. I always knew it couldn’t last forever. I was just waiting to find a better day.
Many rich people are miserable because they are obsessed by the money. Happiness is not so much about how much money you have rather about what life means.
Chris has been a part of the game for over 20 years, so he has some incredible experiences to tell us about. What I like best about his story is his attitude. That’s a big part of the reason why he’s been where he is today. He has a great attitude and has always taken pride in his hard work.
When someone asks you what you do for a living and you start talking about your job, that is usually not a good sign. Instead, tell them about your dream job.
I will always be grateful to my family and close friends for all the love and support I’ve received over the years. I will do my best to make them proud.