I don’t want to be good at it, I don’t want to be pretty good at it, I want to be world class at it.

Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner on being the best

February 14, 2017

Source: A Drink With, 2014

Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change.

The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat.

They tell you: Follow your dreams. Listen to your spirit. Change the world. Make your mark. Find your inner voice and make it sing. Embrace failure. Dream. Dream and dream big. As a matter of fact, dream and don't stop dreaming until all of your dreams come true. I think that's crap.

With Obama, the glass ceiling has been broken with what men can aspire to, and now we need to do the same for women and what women can aspire to.

Octavia Spencer

You need to have tunnel vision when chasing your goal.

I'm the type of person who is always going to be somewhat dissatisfied with myself. I'm never going to be smart enough. I'm never going to be a good enough father. I'm never going to be a good enough husband. I'm never going to be a good enough actor for myself. I just never will be, and I have to get comfortable with waking up every day and trying to move some little increment closer to the person I have always dreamed of being.

I had a mom who told me from the very beginning that you can do or be anything you dream to and I believed it.

You cannot stop me from dreaming. I'm gon' dream until Jesus comes.

Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

Denzel Washington

I stay focused and I just keep going.

Vanessa Bell Calloway

You can dream your life away or actually do what you dream of doing.

Dream on baby, don't dream on what you can have, dream about what the devil says you can't have. Dream for the best. Dream for the best healing. Dream for the best deliverance, dream for the best house. Dream for the best car, just 'cause the world don't have it doesn't mean you can't have it.

So we mustn't run out of steam. Sometimes young women think ‘Dammnnn, I’ve been doing this nine years and I don’t think anything has budged.' But keep plugging away. Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success and then just get a little more.

Stay on it, stay strong on your path. Many will say no, and that’s okay cause all it takes is that one yes. After that it will all start happening. You can’t give up. Don’t compare your acting life with others. We all mature as actors on different times and levels. Go after your dreams with all you’ve got and then some, because success is waiting for YOU, just around the corner.

Anthony Anderson

Being myself. Not paying attention when people say you’re great and not paying attention when people say you’re horrible.

I have found that when preparation meets opportunity, nothing is out of reach.

I want people to remember me the way they know Nike, that level of impact.

Dreams do come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and the courage to lean in.