The founder and chairman of The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates, Walter Elias “Walt” Disney, was born in Chicago on December 5, 1901. After losing both his parents at a young age to Tuberculosis, he spent most of his childhood living with relatives or friends.
His love for drawing led him to an apprenticeship as a commercial artist, which helped him pay the bills while pursuing other interests such as amateur dramatics and cartooning. He eventually found work in Hollywood, where he became an animator at The Laugh-O-Gram Studio before moving up the ranks to become a producer there. Then, in 1923, Walt moved out west with brother Roy O. Disney to set up their animation studio, the Disney Brothers Studio.
On October 16, 1923, Steamboat Willie was released, widely regarded as the debut of Mickey Mouse and officially launched Walt Disney Studios’ line of animated characters who would help define his career.
Disney’s real big break came when in 1937, he opened up a new experience in entertainment with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was the first full-length animated feature in film history. Soon after, Disney established himself as a household name with other blockbuster films.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Walt Disney and implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. Success is the result of good judgment. But, unfortunately, good judgment comes from experience, which usually comes from bad judgment.
We’ve all made mistakes in life, but it’s how we learn and grow from them that counts. By working on our shortcomings and avoiding making the same mistakes again, we’re able to improve ourselves and develop the kind of wisdom that leads us down the right path.
2. Whenever I was upset as a boy, it was because I couldn’t get my way most of the time. But as an adult, whenever I’m upset, it’s usually because I didn’t get my way!
Not all of us are lucky enough to be naturally agreeable people, and that’s okay, but if we can’t learn to let small things go, we’ll always be left feeling unhappy.
3. If you can dream it, you can do it. Remember that this whole thing started with a dream and a mouse!
All great changes in our lives start with the same idea. Whether you’re just starting on your own or you want to take your life in a whole new direction, follow your dreams and use them as the motivation you need to make it.
4. It’s fun to do the impossible!
Never underestimate what you can achieve with persistence and determination. The next time something seems impossible, just remember that ‘it’s fun to do the impossible.
5. All our dreams can come true if we dare to pursue them.
Although you might not get everything that you want in life, as long as you try your best, you will always be happy with what you’re able to accomplish. If, at first, you don’t succeed, try again.
6. The way to start is to quit talking and begin doing!
It’s one thing to have dreams, but it’s another thing entirely to put them into action. So if you’re ever feeling down about yourself, remember that it’s better to get started even on the smallest things rather than doing nothing at all.
8. I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.
Although we can learn new things ourselves when we see someone else learning, it’s important to be supportive. Rather than judging people for their choices in life, try instead to focus on what you can learn from them and how you can help them grow.
9. I don’t make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether six or sixty. Films must be creative before they are entertaining.
Just like Walt Disney, we should try to create entertainment that appeals to a wide range of different people so long as it doesn’t stray too far from its original intent and become something else entirely. If an idea can be executed in multiple ways, there’s no reason we shouldn’t explore every avenue and do justice to the original material.
10. The way to start is to quit talking and begin doing!
When we’re overwhelmed with all of the problems that surround us, it’s easy to feel like giving up, but in reality, the only thing that will do us any good is continuing to take small steps forward in life despite everything else. We don’t need to see the whole path, just so long as we know which direction we’re heading in.
12. The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, making you unique.
In a world where everyone is trying to fit in, we need to stay true to ourselves and realise what makes us who we are. Even though there might be pressure on us to go along with the status quo sometimes, to find true happiness, we must stand up for what we believe in despite everything else.
13. I think of myself first as a businessman, in charge of a business where I want to retain a romantic touch so that we don’t become a cold, hard-boiled, assembly-line company.
Although it’s important for us to be realistic and practical in life, it’s also important that we remember what our main values and inspirations are. If the people working for you forget about why they’re doing things, then there’s no point for you to be in charge of them.
14. Someday, my dream is to make the world happy – to make people forget their troubles; when they leave the movie theatre, I want them to feel that they’ve gained more than what they’ve spent; I’d like them to say “it was worth the price of admission” when the check is paid.
Being in control of your life doesn’t just mean trying to reach your goals, but also ensuring that everyone else around you is happy too so that you can live up to their expectations and achieve things together. If you’re always changing yourself to please other people, then they’ll never be able to appreciate what they have.
15. I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.
The next time you’re going after your goals, remember that even though things may be difficult now, it doesn’t mean that they’ll always remain this way, and what you’ll eventually achieve will be worth all of the effort.
16. There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
We need to remember that despite the challenges that we may face in our lives, there’s still so much wonder around us, and it wouldn’t be right for us to forget about this because we’re too busy going after our goals.
17. If you can dream it, you can do it.
When we’re chasing after our goals, there’s no reason we shouldn’t also be open to entertaining new possibilities that might not have occurred to us before and seeing what could happen if they did come true. If we dare to go after what we want in life, there’s no reason for us not to try and change things up a little bit wherever possible.