It's almost been a decade since the release of 'The Pursuit Of Happiness,' in 2006. A masterpiece by Gabriele Muccino and Steven Conrad. An elegant staging of the true story of Chris Gardener's extraordinary journey from homelessness to success as a stockbroker, all while supporting his young son as a single father.
In the film, a homeless salesman is portrayed by Will Smith and Smith's son, Jaden Smith as his young son. Throughout the movie, you can see him trying to make an honest living for his son. His life was the one that you think you could never handle. He has to pick up his son at the daycare centre, and he also has to be on time to get a room in one of the local homeless shelters.
Towards the end of the movies, you can see that his talents and skills, along with his magnetism and personality, earned the trust of several people who signed contracts with the brokerage firm. And finally, he got the one paid position, and his life changed dramatically from that moment.
If you're feeling low and need some inspiration or motivation to keep going, this 25 Pursuit of Happiness quotes will motivate you. It will give you the determination and a strong will to become successful.
1) Don't just talk that talk; walk it and go forward. Also, the walk didn't have to be long strides; baby steps counted too. Go forward.
Nothing in this life is constant, your situation may keep changing, and you may feel helpless when things are not in your control but don't ever let that negativity creep into your life. This is pretty much the central theme of the story. It teaches us that even in your most challenging time, success could be just around the corner. So keep working hard with determination, and you'll surely reach your goals even with your baby steps.
2) They all looked so damn happy to me. Why couldn't I look like that?
This is one of the most memorable quotes from the pursuit of happiness. You see Chris's life breaking down, drowning in debts, his family just on the verge of separation, and he gets inspired by the new profession. A stockbroker. But as his story ends, you see that it did not really matter. He did not let anyone discourage him. He was good with what he did– there was nothing more he needed to believe in. Believe in your genuine self!
3) Probably means there’s a good chance. Possibly means we might or we might not.
How you perceive your current situation and the word you use to describe them surely does reflect your journey towards success. So, use those words wisely.
4) Maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue. And maybe we can actually never have it, no matter what.
Like many pursue happiness quotes, this one talks about the central theme of the movie: hope and Happiness. You need to freely pursue joy and live life in a way that makes you happy, as long as you don't do anything that hurts someone else.
5) The important thing about the freedom train is it’s got to climb mountains. We all have to climb mountains. Mountains that go way up high, and mountains that go deep and low.
Sometimes your goals may seem like a mountain, but there's also a mountain surrounding you — your inner struggle and fear of not achieving what you truly want to. To succeed and achieve the goals you wish to accomplish in life, you need to overcome those mountains and always climb up!
6) When I was young, and I’d get A’s, I’d get this good feeling of all the things that I could be. And then I’d never become any of them.
Sometimes, to become successful and get more familiar with the person we can become, we don’t need to combine more things — we need to give up on some of them. You can give up on some of them today, while it might take a bit long to spun to give up on others.
7) The world is your oyster. It’s up to you to find the pearls.
The pearls here represent opportunities. The world is your 'oyster,' full of opportunities, and you need to keep looking out for those. You'll also need to work hard to find success by choosing the right direction and working persistently.
8) It’s okay to fail; it’s not okay to quit.
Failure is inevitable. At least once in your life, you are going to fail at something. Your talent, intelligence, hard work, and/or passion will not be able to protect you, and it helps you to share the room for improvement no matter how great you are by bringing to your attention some things you’ve done incorrectly. But never, like, never quit your passion and dreams.
9) Always, always pursue happiness.
Sure, as time passes and we move towards the hurdles and obstacles that life offers. But don't ever forget to pursue happiness along the way. In the movie, Chris Gardner strives to reach his goal of being a stockbroker, hoping to achieve happiness. Your dreams and happiness go hand in hand. So Always pursue happiness.
10) You can only depend on yourself. The cavalry ain’t coming.
Harsh but this quote truly does speak the truth. When Chris was supposed to present his candidacy for the interview with Dean Witter to become an intern stockbroker, he gets arrested for unpaid parking tickets. When he sees let go, he's out of time to change clothes and has to suck up his pride and go to the interview in sweatpants and a wife-beater, but that doesn't deem his strength, determination, and passion, and the interviewer was forced to look beyond his condition. Whatever you want, you have to do for yourself, nobody is coming to help you. You do you!
11) Strong people stand up for themselves. Stronger people stand up for others.
When you stand up for people, you show that you're "on their side" when they need help. You build a relationship that earns you long-term loyalty, trust, credibility, commitment, and morale. It makes you healthy and gives you a confidence boost.
12) Do something that you love. Whatever you're going to do is going to be tough. Find something that gets you so excited that the sun can't come up early enough in the morning because you want to go do your thing.
You must keep your dream alive and maintain a clear eye on the end goal. If not, then what is the raison d'être of your existence?. It's not about the missteps and failures along the way, but how they help to make you stronger on your journey to the end. You must find your path, your focus.
13) I was homeless, but I wasn't hopeless. I knew a better day was coming. Right now, things might seem hopeless but I know better days are coming.
Every situation in life is temporary so, when life is good, make sure you are grateful and receive it fully. And when life isn't so good, remember that it will not last forever, and better days are on the way. As you wait for better days, don't forget to enjoy today if they've already started.
14) Still a dreamer, yet more of a realist than ever before, I knew this was my time to sail. On the horizon, I saw the shining future, as before. The difference now was that I felt the wind at my back. I was ready.
It's essential to continue your mission in life; yes, there'll be bumps and bruises along the way. Chris Gardner had solved the Rubik's cube, and he attended his internship program and sold his medical scanners. Whatever life offers you, whether good or bad, fight back, and you'll see yourself more vital than ever above the horizon.
15) The balance in your life is more important than the balance in your checking account.
Here, balancing time means prioritizing and assigning adequate time to various events throughout the day. That’s because of the universal 80:20 rule. It’s called the Pareto principle. It means: 20% of the things you do gives you 80% of the results. Maintaining daily balance is a crucial step towards achieving success in any endeavour.
16) Claim ownership of your dreams.
It is essential to have the will and the strength to do whatever it takes to fulfil your dream. If you feel like you don't dare to fulfil your dream, they stop looking at your life with that mindset and try to have a clear vision of where you want to be in life and make that dream worthwhile.
17) Ready or not, tell yourself to jump.
Throughout the list of the Pursuit of Happiness quotes, it is evident that perception is everything, and how you make people perceive you are a significant part of achieving success. Chris maintains the illusion that he is the most put-together regardless of the circumstances. At one point, you can even see him lend $5 to a coworker for a cab. His illusion and perceptions help him achieve the success he so much desires.
18) If you believe you can do it, you will.
The quote pretty much offers life advice. Along with self-belief, it's vital to have a strong desire, no one strives to achieve anything unless there's a desire to succeed in the future.
19) The money thing will come. I know so many people who have so much more money than I.
They are miserable. It is so important to be happy.
It all comes down to the big question: "Can money buy happiness?" There's no simple answer. But what's more, importance is to find a balanced life. A balanced life is a fulfilling life. For that, you have to figure out at what point you're content and can say 'This much is enough'.
20) As long as I kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other, the voices of fear and shame, the messages from those who wanted me to believe that I wasn’t good enough, would be stilled.
Life is about accepting the challenges. What's done is done. What's gone is gone. One of life's lessons is always moving forward. Stay positive, keep the faith, and keep moving forward – your finding may be just around the corner.
21) The part of my life, this part right here. This is called happiness.
When Chris Gardner gets the paid permanent job at reputed Dean Witter, he says these quotes and falls into tears. This quote from the movie reflects the happiness you get when you have been working for something for a long time, and your efforts finally made you achieve it.
22) Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish.
From all the Pursuit of Happiness quotes, this one is self-explanatory but has a profound meaning. The most essential thing in life to achieve success and your efforts' extraordinary result is self-belief. With self-believe and sheer willpower, you can be remarkable!
23) I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.
This simple statement describes the Protagonist’s story from being a homeless man to a stockbroker. As times change, your past and present can give you a deeper understanding of what truly drives you towards direction and momentum to become who you are in the future.
24) Wealth can also be that attitude of gratitude with which we remind ourselves every day to count our blessings.
This quote from the pursuit of happiness reminds you to be grateful for life's unexpected situation. And when there are significant problems and issues, it's hard to remember that life also has many blessings, but this quote advises you that there is so much more for which you have to be thankful.
25) Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream; you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves; they want to tell you, you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period. All right?
This list of Pursuit of Happiness quotes would be incomplete without this masterpiece, and it is probably the best advice from the movie, becoming the soul of the film. Chris says this to his son when he says that he had been mediocre in the game and that the son could not be any better than the father. Upon hearing his son is disappointed, and Chris realizes his mistake and says the mentioned line.
What you can learn from this Pursuit of Happiness quotes is even at the lowest point of Chris's life, he had self-confidence about himself, and he maintained a perfect illusion that he was just as much a viable candidate as the others who had homes and all the luxuries of modern-day businessmen.
He never stopped pondering himself, and his self-confidence is a significant part of the turning point which helped him succeed in his life. All you need is to look for and keep working for that turning point, which will surely dramatically change your life in a better way.
Happiness is not money, but happiness is seeing your life stable, your child happy, and your future bright. But we do need the money, and it's not gonna come by itself. You have to go out and achieve along the way don't forget to pursue your own HAPPINESS!
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