I'm known to be aggressively early.

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

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

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%.

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.

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?

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.

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

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

I didn't grow up in a household where dinner conversation was, 'How did the market do today?'

I had spent years in the United States military. Specifically in the U.S. Navy.

Everything that I learned in the Navy, I took it with me into the next phase of my life.

No matter what you accomplish, when you're doing something you're truly passionate about... the opportunities are always going to be bigger.

My first ambition in life, I made up my mind I was going to become Miles Davis. I studied music, music theory. I played trumpet for nine years. One day, my mother explained, 'You can't be Miles Davis. There's one, and he's got that job.'

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.

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-fashioned face time and up-to-date skills.

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

In order for you to find a job, people need to know you're looking.

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 next to godliness is resourcefulness.

My mom had to be resourceful. She grew up dirt poor in rural Louisiana.

Your skills may not be anything out of the ordinary, but you can do miraculous things with what you've got. Maybe it's your parenting skills, or your compassion. It may be your curiosity, your imagination or unique style of fashion. Even if it seems to be no big deal, the lesson here is we all have unique abilities and talents.

If you're having a hard time recognizing your gifts, look to someone else you know who's been resourceful. You may be surprised by how your own strengths rise to the surface by watching someone else.

When someone says, 'You can't,' what it really means is that they can't - so why should you get to?

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

You can blame outside factors or make excuses about why things didn't work out, but that doesn't change anything.

Nine times out of 10, extenuating circumstances aside, I believe that people are where they are by some kind of choice on their part. You need to acknowledge that, 'Hey, I'm here because I steered my horse in this direction.'

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.

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 can alter your position on your own.

What I love about AT&T is that they are just as passionate as I am about rebooting the American dream.

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.

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.

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.

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 jail.

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

Passion is not something you have to talk about. People feel it.

I say to people all the time, it is OK to fail. Some of the greatest successes in the history of America started out as failures.

I've created the life I wanted.

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

I'm a Levi's guy.

I do one thing - I don't do it on purpose - but I always make other guys look underdressed.

One time, I was going to be in L.A. for 10 days for a business conference, and I took eight different pairs of sandals.

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 day.'

The people who care the most about the folks in your community are living in the community. They don't live in Washington, D.C.

Salespeople are the most important people in any organization. Until a salesperson gets an order, nobody in the company has a job.

I've never considered selling anything other than profession, but it's more than that. It's one of the highest callings that you can aspire to. Not everyone can do it.

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.

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.

I grew up without a father.

Everybody got a dream. What's the plan?

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.