Anything Is Possible With Grit And Determination
The idea of the self-made man is integral to the American dream: It's the belief that anyone—regardless of their circumstances—can achieve greatness through hard work, grit, and determination. However, self-made men have created their destinies all throughout history and include some of the best, brightest, and kindest men the world has ever seen. Let's take a look at some of the world's greatest self-made men.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was the 15th of 17 children born to a candlemaker. With only two years of formal education, a thirst for knowledge, and a strong work ethic, Franklin became the epitome of the self-made Renaissance man. He was a successful author, inventor, scientist, postmaster, politician, and one of the United States' founding fathers.
Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, Wikimedia Commons
Ross Perot
Born at the beginning of the Great Depression, Ross Perot pulled himself up by his bootstraps to achieve astonishing success. Fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, Perot created a company that he eventually sold for $700 million. Not content to rest on his laurels, he later ran for President of the United States.
John Davison Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller had a difficult childhood. His mother taught him the importance of working, saving money, and helping others. As an adult, he used his incredible business acumen to amass a fortune estimated at $1.5 billion dollars; he gave away about $530 million through his philanthropic efforts.
National Photo Company Collection, Wikimedia Commons
Ralph Lauren
Born to recent immigrants in 1939, Ralph Lauren grew up in a small apartment in the Bronx, sharing a bedroom with two brothers. While still in school, Lauren began selling handmade neckties. Today, his fashion brand is synonymous with affluence, and Lauren is ranked as one of the richest people in America.
FashionStock.com, Shutterstock
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 19th-century America. When he was 20, he donned a disguise and hopped onto a train, which he rode to freedom. He became one of the most respected Americans of his time, renowned as an abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.
George Kendall Warren, Wikimedia Commons
Ray Kroc
A high school dropout, Ray Kroc spent his life working at various odd jobs, including a stint as a milkshake mixer salesman. He was in his 50s when, intrigued by one of his clients' restaurants, he decided to set up a fast food chain based on their model. Within eight years, Kroc's chain—McDonald's—had sold over a billion hamburgers.
Harry Reid
Harry Reid had a hardscrabble childhood in a tiny Nevada town; his family home had just two rooms and an outhouse. Nevertheless, Reid persevered through law school before entering politics. He served as a United States senator from 1987 to 2017 and as the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.
United States Congress, Wikimedia Commons
Thomas Edison
Kicked out of school because of his distractibility, Thomas Edison was homeschooled by his mom. He became one of history's most famous inventors, filing more than 1,500 patents for devices such as the phonograph, stock ticker, and incandescent light bulb. He also established 14 companies, including General Electric.
Louis Bachrach, Bachrach Studios, Michel Vuijlsteke, Wikimedia Commons
Larry Ellison
Born to an unwed mother, Larry Ellison was later adopted by his mother's aunt and uncle. His adoptive parents were not wealthy; Ellison grew up in a two-bedroom apartment. While in his 30s, Ellison used $2,000 of his own money to found Oracle, the database company. He is now one of the richest men in the world.
Oracle Corporate Communications, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln's story is the stuff of legends. Born in a one-room cabin, Lincoln was a self-taught lawyer who became one of the greatest presidents of the United States.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
Clarence Thomas
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, descended from slaves, was born into poverty. When he was seven, he went to live with his grandparents, where he had regular meals for the first time in his life. His grandfather was highly influential, guiding his education and impressing the importance of hard work and civil rights.
Steve Petteway, Wikimedia Commons
Sam Walton
Born in 1918, Sam Walton learned the value of hard work during the Great Depression, when he took on odd jobs to help the family finances. He dreamed of owning a variety store but, through hard work and strategic planning, built an entire empire of variety stores—namely, Walmart.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons
Harry Truman
Harry Truman grew up on his family's farm in Missouri.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford only attended school until he completed the eighth grade but he showed an early proficiency in engineering and mechanics. Although he was expected to take over the family farm, Ford pursued his passions. He established the Henry Ford Company in 1901, revolutionizing factory work, transportation, and the American way of life.
Hartsook, photographer., Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie's family moved from Ireland to America when Carnegie was 13 years old. Shortly afterwards, he landed his first job, working as a bobbin boy in a textile factory. Through hard work, exceptional money management skills, and business acumen, Carnegie became a steel magnate—and the richest man in the world.
Booker Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was freed from a life of slavery in 1865 by the Emancipation Proclamation. He then worked in salt and coal mines until he was able to pursue an education. After being tapped to head the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, Washington rose to prominence as an
Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons
Milton Hershey
With only a fourth-grade education, Milton Snavely Hershey was first apprenticed to a printer and then to a candymaker. When he attempted to strike out on his own, his first three confectionery businesses failed. He finally achieved success after founding the Lancaster Caramel Company and went on to build the world's largest chocolate factory, introducing milk chocolate to the American masses.
unknown (original image); Centpacrr (derivative image), Wikimedia Commons
Walt Disney
Walt Disney had a less-than-idyllic childhood. His father was cold, harsh, and financially unstable. Disney began developing his skill as a cartoonist while he was still a child, which initially led him to work in commercial illustration. However, fascinated by animation, he switched tracks, leading to the creation of the Walt Disney Company.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Barack Obama
Barack Obama's multiracial heritage and unconventional upbringing could have held him back in life. Instead, he excelled in school, graduating from law school before entering politics and becoming the first Black President in the history of the United States.
Center for American Progress Action Fund from Washington, DC, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ben Cohen And Jerry Greenfield
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were childhood friends who were initially unable to find their calling in life. In the mid-1970s, the two took a correspondence course on ice cream making, which cost a cool five dollars—an expense they split in half. They sold their Ben and Jerry's brand to Unilever for $326 million in 2000.
John Sperling
Although John Sperling graduated from high school, he was dyslexic and only semiliterate. While serving in the merchant marines, he taught himself to read and eventually earned a doctorate. His experiences with the educational system led him to establish the University of Phoenix, which provides a way for working adults to achieve their academic dreams.
Remembering University of Phoenix founder D. John Sperling, ABC15 Arizona
David Sarnoff
Born in present-day Belarus, David Sarnoff emigrated to the United States with his family in 1900. Sarnoff became quite interested in both radio and television technology, and his work with the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America and later, RCA gave him the opportunity to play a starring role in the development of both mediums.
Radio Corporation of America RCA, Wikimedia Commons
Arnold Schwarzenegger
As a youngster in Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't have a happy family life. He first focussed on bodybuilding as a career before shifting to film and finally to politics. He served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
Bill Gates
Unlike many others on this list, Bill Gates had a relatively privileged childhood. However, his upper-middle-class upbringing cannot be solely credited for his incredible success. The man who founded Microsoft is one of the richest people in the world and is renowned for his philanthropic endeavours. Gates has donated over $100 billion to charitable causes.
World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Amancio Ortega Gaona
Amancio Ortega Gaona was born into a modest family in Spain. When the family needed to relocate for his father to keep his job, Ortega left school. He was only 14. Shortly after, he found work with a local shirtmaker where he learned to make clothing by hand. About 25 years later, he opened his first Zara store. He is now the second-wealthiest retailer in the world.
Europa Press Entertainment, Getty Images
Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin was born in Moscow, where his family, including his grandmother, lived in a three-room apartment. The family emigrated to the United States in 1979, where Brin excelled in his educational pursuits. Together with Larry Page, Brin co-founded Google and is now one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of about $164 billion.
Jen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang
Born in Taiwan to middle-class parents, Jen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang was mistakenly enrolled in a religious reform academy in America when he was 10 years old, as his parents prepared to emigrate. Huang lived at the academy for two years, where he was bullied, beaten, and made to clean toilets in the dormitories. He went on to become the president, co-founder, and CEO of Nvidia, the world's largest semiconductor company. His net worth is over $114 billion.
presidential palace, Wikimedia Commons
Len Blavatnik
Born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, Len Blavatnik had limited educational opportunities because of his family's Jewish ancestry. He initially studied railway engineering in the USSR, but shifted his focus to computer science and business once his family emigrated to the United States. He built up an extremely diversified investment portfolio and currently owns Warner Music.
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday was born into a poor family in Britain in 1791. As a teenager, he undertook a seven-year apprenticeship to a local bookbinder and bookseller, where he had access to reading materials, but he had little formal education. Nonetheless, he became one of the most influential scientists in history.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton had a rough start in life. Born prematurely to a recently-widowed mother, Newton was ultimately left to live with his grandmother when his mother remarried. As he grew older, he excelled at academics, and as an adult, he pioneered important work in optics, math, physics, and astronomy. He is best known for inventing calculus and formulating
Godfrey Kneller, Wikimedia Commons
George Soros
George Soros was born into a Jewish family in Hungary in 1930. The family's religious beliefs and the sociopolitical situation in Eastern Europe could have placed Soros in peril, but he emigrated to London, where he enrolled at the London School of Economics. Impoverished, he wrote to every merchant bank in London, looking for work. Today, he is one of the wealthiest investors and most generous philanthropists in the world.
World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, descended from slaves, was born into poverty in Kentucky. Ali had dyslexia and struggled in school. He began taking boxing lessons when he was just 12 years old and became one of the greatest boxers of all time. More importantly, he was a prominent figure in the American civil rights movement and contributed significantly to charitable and humanitarian efforts.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was adopted by a lower-middle-class American family in the 1950s. As a young adult, instead of working or attending school, Jobs slept on the floor of his friends' dorm rooms and returned used beverage containers for the deposit money. He also travelled to India, seeking enlightenment, before settling down to build the Apple electronics empire with Steve Wozniak.
Acaben, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Olaudah Equiano
Born in Nigeria in about 1745, Olaudah Equiano was sold into slavery and shipped to the Caribbean. He was sold two more times before he was able to purchase his freedom. As a free man, he became a noted writer and abolitionist. His estate was valued at £950 (over $100,000 USD in today's currency)—an incredible amount for an ex-slave to amass.
Tenzing Norgay
Tenzing Norgay was born in Nepal, the 11th of 13 children. He received no education. As a teenager, he ran away from home twice, before settling in a Sherpa community in the Eastern Himalayas. He gained renown as a mountaineer and was chosen to ascend Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary. He later became the Director of Field Training of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, India.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Wikimedia Commons
Mohed Altrad
Mohed Altrad was born in the Syrian desert in 1948. Orphaned early, he was raised by his grandmother, who forbade him from attending school. Altrad disobeyed; after obtaining some education in Syria, he moved to France to attend university, where he was only able to afford one meal a day. He now owns one of the world's leading manufacturers of scaffolding and cement mixers, and has a net worth of $1 billion.
Kenny Troutt
Raised by a single mom who worked as a bartender, Kenny Troutt paid for his university tuition by selling life insurance. He later founded Excel Communications, which he sold just 10 years later for $3.5 billion.
John Paul DeJoria
By the age of 10, John Paul DeJoria helped to financially support his family. Although his early life was difficult, he persevered, and later took out a $700 loan to create the John Paul Mitchell hair care line, which he sold door-to-door while living in his car. He went on to also become a co-founder of the The Patrón Spirits Company.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett was born at the outset of the Great Depression. Although his father was able to keep the family financially afloat, Buffett's mother was harsh and verbally abusive, and his childhood wasn't easy. Despite hardships at home, Buffett had a keen mind for entrepreneurship and investing from a young age. He bought his first stocks when he was just 11 years old and managed to parlay that small investment into a net worth estimated at over $154 billion, making him one of the wealthiest people on the planet.
Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
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