Dave Pelzer

“To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on.”

“Everyone picked on me in school because I was in foster care.”

“I'm so alive.As I stand facing the beauty of the never-ending Pacific Ocean, a late afternoon breeze blows down from the hills behind. As always, it is a beautiful day. The sun is making its final descent. The magic is about to begin. The skies are ready to burn with brilliance, as it turns from a soft blue to a bright orange. Looking towards the West, I stare in awe at the hypnotic power of the waves. A giant curl begins to take form, then breaks with a thundering clap as it crashes on the shore.”

“Everybody makes mistakes.”

“I buy thousands of books a year.”

“'A Child Called It' was a story about resilience, it was never about boo hoo hoo, it was about a kid that didn't quit.”

“I know I can be very standoffish.”

“You can be a victim of cancer, or a survivor of cancer. It's a mindset.”

“My message has always been about resilience.”

“I am a very shy, introverted guy.”

“Inside, my soul became so cold I hated everything. I even despised the sun, for I knew I would never be able to play in its warm presence.”

“Mother can beat me all she wants, but I haven’t let her take away my will to somehow survive.”

“I was abused my family was the "brady bunch”

“I had an attachment disorder.”

“When you please others in hopes of being accepted, you lose you self-worth in the process.”

“Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.”

“I really believe I'm no different from anyone else. I just had a few challenges I had to learn from at a very early age.”

“You kick a dog long enough, that dog is going to bite you or die.”

“If people have a basic understanding of right from wrong, possess a strong desire to better themselves and persist in their cause, they can break the chain of any negative environment.”

“Everybody has a tragedy or two in their lives.”