“I've been talking to a lot of young people, especially here in America. I let them know that the people who they're competing with for opportunities live all over the place. They're probably not in your city, state, or country; they are hungry, and they are grinding! Some of the things that a lot of us take for granted, these people don't.”

American businessman and motivational speaker

Chris Gardner is an American businessman and motivational speaker. He became a stockbroker in the mid-1970s and later founded Gardner Rich & Co in 1987. In 2006, he sold his minority stake in the firm and published a memoir that was later adapted into the film The Pursuit of Happyness. He is also known for speaking about persistence, hardship, and turning setbacks into progress.