Quotes from Successful People Who
Overcame
Learning Disabilities
Researched and Submitted by Mary M. Silgals, MLIS, M.Ed, Trident Academy The following quotes are
from successful people who overcame their learning disabilities to become
successful. See if you can guess who
they are. Sources found at www.interdys.org, www.sparktop.org (part of the Schwab
learning website), and www.ldonline.com. “I always felt a bit alone
and isolated from other people…I did a lot of pretending as a child. It was my way of coping with the fact that I
didn’t feel like I fit in.” Keneau Reeves, actor, dyslexic From a note signed by this
dyslexic and his mother: “If I don’t miss one day of school this year I got
$1.00.” Nelson A. Rockefeller,
former VP USA, dyslexic “When a man does all he can,
though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it.” George Washington, 1st
President of USA, problem with reading and writing “Failure in school does not
mean failure in life.” Steven J. Cannell, author
and Emmy winning TV producer, dyslexic “”My mom and I used to go to
Cher, entertainer, dyslexic “I firmly believe that deep
in their soul everyone has a champion that can overcome obstacles and do great
things.” Bruce Jenner, former
Olympic Gold medalist, dyslexic “The looks, the stares, the
giggles…I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could
read.” Magic Johnson, former NBA
star, dyslexic “My childhood was extremely
lonely. I was dyslexic and lots of kids
make fun of me. That experience made me
tough inside, because you learn to quietly accept ridicule.” Tom Cruise, actor,
dyslexic He did not speak until the
age of three and teachers labeled him mentally slow: “Anyone who has never made
a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein,
scientist “My diary is a disaster…I
can’t spell at all…I’ll spell the same word completely differently in the same
sentence.” Liv Tyler, actress,
writing disability (dysgraphia) “Life is full of
challenges. How you handle these
challenges is what builds character.
Never be afraid to be who you are.” Erin Brockovich,
activist, dyslexic In reference to his being
the class clown: “I didn’t want anyone to know that I
didn’t get it. Tommy Hilfiger, designer,
dyslexic “I used to love reading when
I was little, and then it became difficult and I didn’t understand why. I thought, what a bummer, my passion all
drained out of me. So when I found out I
had dyslexia, it was like, oh, that’s what it was.” Jewel, singer, dyslexic “My learning disabilities
pushed me to discover talents that I wasn’t aware of having. It has also led me to develop products to
help others who struggled through school as I did.” Reyn Geyer, inventor of
Nerf balls & Twister, dyslexic “The secret of getting ahead
is getting started.” Agatha Christie, author, dysgraphic
(dictated her work) “My mother was the making of
me. She was so true, so sure of me and I
felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” Thomas Edison, inventor,
struggled with math, did not read until 12 years old, teachers told him he
wasn’t smart “If you can dream it, you
can do it.” Walt Disney, struggled
with reading “I get stubborn and dig in
when people tell me I can’t do something and I think I can. It goes back to my childhood when I had
problems in school because I have a learning disability. I never wanted to be perceived as handicapped
or limited in any way.” Ann Bancroft, polar
explorer, dyslexic “Your brain is much better
than you think; just use it!” Leonardo Da Vinci, artist,
scientist, inventor, trouble with spelling, had so many ideas and inventions he
had trouble staying on track “Many times I can see a
solution to something differently and quicker than other people. I see the end
zone and say ‘This is where I want to go.’” Charles Schwab, business man,
dyslexic, read classic comic’s versions of literature to keep up with reading
assignments “If you read to me I could
tell you everything that was read. They
didn’t know what it was. They knew I
wasn’t lazy, but what was it?” Whoopi Goldberg, actress,
dyslexic “One thing about mildly
dyslexic people – they’re good at setting everything else aside to pursue one
goal.” Jay Leno, entertainer,
dyslexic “I felt like an alien. I always felt like I never belonged to any
group that I wanted to belong to.” Steven Spielberg, movie
maker, dyslexic, struggled with math, dropped out of high school “It is not easy to compete when you have LD, but it
is possible.” Henry Winkler, actor,
dyslexic Million dollar question: Are dyslexics more or less likely to become
millionaires? MORE LIKELY! (See Sunday Times article at ldonline.com for BBC
commissioned study results.)