Chris Gardner

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

“Business school professors don't take selling seriously because they don't know how to sell. It's easy to talk about business theory and production time and just-in-time development. Selling...”

“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 mos...”

“I cut grass, I did yard work, I did roofing, I cleaned basements to take care of my family.”

“Most of us have heard the saying, 'Cleanliness is next to godliness.' That's a sentiment I value, but another virtue has inspired me to revise that saying. As far as I'm concerned, what's ne...”

“I've never been big on sports coats and pants. I'm a suit guy. It makes it clear who's in charge.”

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

“I've been saying to people for a long time, 'If you're not doing something you're tremendously excited about, and you're not feeling passionate about it, you're compromising yourself every d...”

“I hold one thing dearer than all else: my commitment to my son.”

“I also often hear people say that the deck is stacked against them because of racism, sexism, or other oppressive 'isms.' But once you let go of the blame and excuses, you'll see that you ca...”

“I chose to embrace the spirit of my mother, who, though she had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred, and destroyed, she still instilled in me, her child, that I could have dreams and...”

“Fortunately, our digital age has created some wonderful tools for finding employers and showing your strengths. But when it comes to discovering or keeping a job, nothing beats good old-fash...”

“When I was a kid, we played a jump rope game called double Dutch - where you had to jump over two ropes swinging in opposite directions. Picking just the right moment to jump in was a practi...”

“Finding gainful employment to pay for housing is hard for any veteran experiencing homelessness. It's even more difficult for veterans who've also had encounters with police and stints in ja...”

“Probably the hardest question I get asked is, 'How do I choose between passion and practicality?' I can't answer that. I had to do both. I was passionate about pursuing a career in financial...”

“I made a decision as a five-year-old boy that my kids will know who their father is.”

“Your net worth can fluctuate, but your self-worth should only appreciate.”

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

“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...”

“I am very, very conscious of time. I always wear two watches. People ask me, 'Why do you do that?' Because I was late once,and it cost me a huge opportunity.”