Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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 services. But I was also passionate about feeding my child.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

I'm encouraged by what I see of men trying to be there for their children.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

I had never gone to college. I was not from a politically connected family. I had no money of my own. Who is going to do business with you?

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

So many men have holes in their souls the shape of their fathers. You can pass that on to your kid, or you can do something about it, and I'm seeing a lot of men doing something about it.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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 that I did have a responsibility and the power.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

I have one of those old-fashioned mothers who told me every single day, 'Son, you can do or be anything that you want to do or be.' And I believed it. I bought into it 100%.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

I'm known to be aggressively early.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

Remember: If you don't schmooze, you lose. Used wisely, a bit of chitchat helps create a personal connection with your boss and colleagues.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

Veterans who are homeless may not have a home, but that doesn't mean they don't have diverse skills that could be put to use to meet the needs of an expanding job market.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

We can all learn something from people we admire.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

If you're lucky enough to have a permanent position, don't feel entitled. Companies value longtime employees' institutional memory, but to be irreplaceable, you must stay invested. Take the initiative and assume new responsibilities.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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 is much more difficult.

Chris Gardner
Chris Gardner

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.