Chris Gardner

Long before I achieved financial success and became the subject of a Hollywood film, I was a veteran, a single father, and a working person who was homeless. ”

Don't ever be afraid to hire people that are smarter than you. Just because they are smarter than you doesn't mean they have to make more money. ”

I grew up without a father. ”

I was blessed to have the guys at Bear Stearns as mentors. They taught me a lot, but most of all, they taught me that there's nothing wrong with selling if you're selling the right product to the right person. ”

Too many veterans are poor or near poor and homeless because of it. ”

My stepfather was fond of letting me know, quote, 'I ain't your... damn daddy.' That was something that was painful, to put it mildly. ”

My biggest hero was my mother. She told me every day that I could do or be anything. I knew it, I believed it, and I embraced it. ”

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. ”

Just remember, you're never too old to have a hero. ”

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. ”