Chris Gardner

“One time, I was going to be in L.A. for 10 days for a business conference, and I took eight different pairs of sandals.”

“If you're passionate about something, you can develop the abilities.”

“The hardest thing that I had to do every day as a working single parent was child care, to have to leave my child with people that I did not know and hope everything was OK, that was the most painful part of every day.”

“Racism is not new. It was not invented just for you. So get bigger than that stuff.”

“When you tell your kids they can be anything, you've got to be careful. I told my kids that, and I ended up with a music producer and an interior designer. But they're doing it.”

“I initially moved to San Francisco to become a research associate for one of the top young heart surgeons in the country. Everything that I learned in that position is that skills, talent, and expertise are transferable.”

“Unfortunately, some of the best fathers are mothers.”

“We can all look to our friends, family, and those we admire for inspiration.”

“Many have forged a path to greatness lit only by a vision in their minds.”

“Baby steps count, too, as long as you're moving forward.”

“Too many veterans are poor or near poor and homeless because of it.”

“A father is everything in the world.”

“Passion is everything. In fact, you've got to be borderline fanatical about what you do.”

“I went through pain as a child so my children wouldn't have to.”

“I've said that if you're not doing something that you're passionate about, you're compromising yourself every single day.”

“Will Smith played Chris Gardner better than Chris Gardner ever did.”

“Nine times out of 10, extenuating circumstances aside, I believe that people are where they are by some kind of choice on their part. You need to acknowledge that, 'Hey, I'm here because I steered my horse in this direction.'”

“Sometimes we are so busy helping others that we forget about ourselves. Remember, it's okay to say no and to ask others to carry their own weight.”

“As long as you have a plan for how you'll live, don't let jealous people turn their insecurities into yours.”

“Don't ever be afraid to hire people that are smarter than you. Just because they are smarter than you doesn't mean they have to make more money.”