Chris Gardner is a famous American entrepreneur, stockbroker, motivational speaker, philanthropist and author. He is a perfect example of the ‘Rags to Riches’ story. He had a very bad childhood as his parents separated and the economic condition of the family compelled him to join the navy after completing school. There he met the famous surgeon Robert Ellis who influenced him to take up a job as a clinical research assistant. During one of those days he met Bob Bridges, a successful stock broker who inspired him to try his skills of selling in stocks. He eventually sharpened his skills which encouraged him to start his own company called ‘Gardner Rich & Co’ with a meager investment. He soon turned the enterprise into a million-dollar company and sold it off at a great margin. He used the money to open the 'Christopher Gardner International Holdings' which worked from some major cities of the U.S. He has always shown a soft heart towards the poor and underprivileged and continues to support various charitable organizations. He has been honored with various awards including the 'Father of the Year Award' and 'Friends of Africa Award'. His life is a great inspiration to people and he is one of the frequently quoted people. Following are some famous quotes and sayings by the renowned business magnate which have been excerpted from his writings, books, work, interviews, speeches and life. Read on this collection of quotations and thoughts by Chris Gardner which portray the humble heart behind such an intelligent investor.
Walk that walk and go forward all the time. Don't just talk that talk, walk it and go forward. Also, the walk didn't have to be long strides; baby steps counted too. Go forward.
Others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish. This is your worth, who you really are, your degree that can go with you wherever you go, that you bring with you the moment you come into a room, that can't be manipulated or shaken. Without that sense of self, no amount of paper, no pedigree, and no credentials can make you legit. No matter what, you have to feel legit inside first.
Wealth can also be that attitude of gratitude with which we remind ourselves everyday to count our blessings.
Chris Gardner
There is no plan B for passion
Chris Gardner
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.
Still a dreamer, yet more of a realist than ever before, I knew this was my time to sail. On the horizon I saw the shining future, as before. The difference now was that I felt the wind at my back. I was ready.
We all understand genetics. You get your eyes from your dad, your mom's nose, there's nothing you can do about that. But your spiritual genetics you can choose, pick, embrace and commit to. That's what I did.
It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?
There was a language specific to all things. 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, too.
Do something that you love. Whatever you're going to do is going to be tough enough. Find something 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.
Sizing up succinctly his lack of formal education compared with his determination to learn from others, the author writes, "I went to college with every person I ever met.
One of the things young people always ask me about is what is the secret to success. The secret is there is no secret. It's the basics. Blocking and tackling.
Every time he came back, apologetic, contrite, he'd start off being real nice. But he was as predictable as rain. No body knew when he'd go off, but at some point everybody knew he would.
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.
