Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney. A world without his magic, optimism and childlike fantasy. Walt Disney pioneered the fields of animation[1], and transformed the entertainment world. He did more to touch the hearts, minds, and emotions of millions of Americans than any other person in the past century.

The man who had one of the most fertile imaginations in history, who managed to turn his musings[2] into a billion dollar company and whose legacy would continue to live on for decades after his death, was born Walter Elias Disney on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. The family quickly moved from the increasingly dangerous city of Chicago to Marceline, Missouri, where they purchased a farm.

It was on the farm where Disney first discovered his passion for drawing when a retired doctor who lived next door to the family paid Disney to draw pictures of his horse.

In school, Disney was an average student, with a penchant for doodling rather than listening to his teachers.[3] During high school, he also occupied his time drawing patriotic cartoons for the school newspaper. And, when he could find enough time, he would attend night classes at the Chicago Art Institute.

At 16, Disney finally dropped out of school to join the army, only to be rejected for being too young. He then decided to forge his birth certificate and join the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps, but by the time he finished his training, the First World War had ended. Disney decided to stay in France and worked as an ambulance driver, all the while continuing to spend his spare time drawing, completely covering his ambulance with his own cartoon creations. After two years, Disney grew lonely in Europe and returned to America, where he decided to finally pursue his passion seriously.

Upon returning, Disney immediately went to see his family; he wanted to share with them his newfound dreams of becoming an artist. But, his father did not support his career choice. Then, with the help of his older brother, Roy, Disney found work making print ads at the Pesemen-Rubin Art Studio and continued experimenting with animation. He soon found himself fascinated with the possibilities of animation and knew he had finally found his niche[4].

At last, he created the world’s first multimedia empire and he did it by making people smile. An entrepreneur with a natural flair[5] for animation, Disney became one of the world’s most well-known and respected entertainers. What was the secret behind the magic?

He followed his dreams: “You reach a point where you don’t work for money,” Disney said. He reached that point early on in his career; he had pursued his passion to the point where he had made it successful and his work became a pleasure. He encountered obstacles and discouragement at every step of the way, but was passionate and courageous enough to continue working towards his goals in spite of everything. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me,” he said.

He was creative: “I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953,” said Disney. “In those days it was all flat land—no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships—just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees.” Where others saw a blank canvas, Disney saw a work of art. He noticed opportunities where others had not even been looking. It was his creativity and his fertile imagination that enabled him to sustain a decades-long successful career.

He seized control: After an early learning experience, Disney quickly came to understand the importance of having creative control and legal ownership of his work. Once he had become his own boss, Disney prided himself on his management skills, maintaining a hands-on approach while still giving his employers a degree of independence. By taking control of his own business, Disney steered[6] himself to success.

He was selective: “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth[7] may be the best thing in the world for you,” said Disney. Despite his success, Disney was not without his failures. He, too, had to learn the difference between passion and blind faith. While passion was a crucial ingredient to his success, Disney grew to understand that passion and business did not always go hand in hand and that success required sacrifice.

Disney died on December 15, 1966 but his legacy carries on to this day. As a producer, director and animator, Disney created one of the world’s most recognized and cherished brands. To other budding entrepreneurs, he says this: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Walt Disney Quotes

“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing–that it was all started by a mouse.”

“Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.”[8]

“To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land.”

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

“I am in no sense of the word a great artist, not even a great animator; I have always had men working for me whose skills were greater than my own. I am an idea man.”

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.”

“My business is making people, especially children, happy.”

“Fantasy and reality often overlap[9].”

“Why be a governor or senator when you can be king of Disneyland?”

“I’ve always been bored with just making money. I’ve wanted to do things; I wanted to build things, to get something going...”

試著想象一個沒有沃爾特?迪斯尼的世界，一個沒有他的魔力、樂觀和童真想象力的世界。沃爾特?迪斯尼不僅是動畫領域的先驅，也改變了娛樂世界。在上個世紀，沒有任何一個人比他更能觸動成千上萬美國人的心靈、思想和情感。

迪斯尼原名沃爾特?伊萊亞斯?迪斯尼，于1901年12月5日出生于伊利諾斯州的芝加哥市，迪斯尼是歷史上最富有想象力的人之一，是能夠把構想變成一個價值十億美元公司、所創造的財富在他去世數十年后仍然為大家所享用的人。迪斯尼一家很快從日益危險的芝加哥搬到了密蘇里州的馬瑟林鎮，并在那里購買了一個農場。

正是在這個農場，迪斯尼首次發現畫畫是他的興趣所在，這緣起于他家隔壁的一位退休醫生出錢請他為自己的馬畫像。

在學校里，迪斯尼表現平平，喜歡自己亂涂亂畫，不喜歡聽老師講課。在讀高中時，他還忙著為校報畫愛國的漫畫。而且，一有時間，他就去參加芝加哥藝術學院的夜校課。

在16歲那年，迪斯尼最終輟學去參軍，結果由于年齡太小而被拒絕。然后他決定偽造出生證明去參加美國紅十字會救護隊，但是等他訓練完畢的時候，一戰已經結束了。迪斯尼決定留在法國當一名救護車司機，同時在業余時間繼續畫畫，他開的救護車上全都是他的卡通作品。又過了兩年，迪斯尼在歐洲漸覺孤單，便返回美國，他最終下定決心要認真追求自己的愛好。

迪斯尼一回國，就立刻去看望他的家人;他想同他們分享他要成為一名畫家的新夢想。可是，他父親并不支持他的這個職業選擇。之后，在他哥哥羅伊的幫助下，迪斯尼在裴思曼-魯賓藝術工作室找到了一份制作印刷廣告的工作，在此期間，他也繼續著動畫方面的嘗試。不久，他便發現自己完全被動畫行業的潛力所吸引，他知道他終于找到了屬于自己的位置。

最終，迪斯尼通過讓別人歡笑，創建了世界上第一個多媒體帝國。他是一個有動畫天分的企業家，也是世界上最著名、最受尊重的娛樂業人物之一。那么在這神奇魔力背后的秘密是什么呢?

他追隨自己的夢想：正如他自己所言，“要達到這樣一種境界，不是為了賺錢而工作。”而在他事業初期，他就已經達到這個境界了;他跟隨自己的興趣所至，得以成功，工作對他來說是一種樂趣。在這條道路上，他所走的每一步都會遇到阻礙和挫折，但是他憑借自己的熱情和勇氣，克服一切困難，一直朝著目標奮進。他說：“我人生中所有的逆境，所有的困難和阻礙，都讓我變得更加強大。”

他富有創造性：“我首次看到迪斯尼樂園的選址是在1953年，”他說，“那時它還全是平坦的土地——沒有河流，沒有山岳，沒有城堡，也沒有火箭船——只有橘子林和幾英畝核桃樹。”別人眼里看到的是一塊空白的畫布，而在迪斯尼眼里卻是一件藝術作品。在別人壓根不去注意的地方，他發現了機會。正是他的創造力和豐富的想象力使得他的事業保持幾十年的成功。

他善于抓住控制權：經歷了一段起步期以后，迪斯尼很快認識到擁有對他工作的靈活控制權和法定所有權的重要性。他自己一當上老板以后，迪斯尼就足以為自己的管理才能感到驕傲，他既親力親為，又給他的員工一定的自主性。通過掌控自己的企業，迪斯尼駛向成功的彼岸。

他懂得選擇：“當它發生的時候你可能意識不到，但是始料未及的厄運可能是世上最好的事情，”迪斯尼說道。盡管他很成功，但迪斯尼也不是沒遭遇過挫折。同樣，他也得學著認識熱情和盲目信仰之間的區別。雖然熱情是他事業成功的一個關鍵因素，但是迪斯尼慢慢認識到熱情和事業并不永遠都是相輔相成的，還有，成功是要付出代價的。

迪斯尼于1966年12月15日去世，但他帶來的財富讓我們享用至今。作為一個制片人、導演和動畫制作者，迪斯尼創造了世界上最受認可、最受喜愛的品牌之一。對于其他剛剛起步的企業家，他這樣說：“停止夸夸其談，開始埋頭苦干，這就是開始的方式。

Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney. A world without his magic, optimism and childlike fantasy. Walt Disney pioneered the fields of animation[1], and transformed the entertainment world. He did more to touch the hearts, minds, and emotions of millions of Americans than any other person in the past century.

The man who had one of the most fertile imaginations in history, who managed to turn his musings[2] into a billion dollar company and whose legacy would continue to live on for decades after his death, was born Walter Elias Disney on December 5, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois. The family quickly moved from the increasingly dangerous city of Chicago to Marceline, Missouri, where they purchased a farm.

It was on the farm where Disney first discovered his passion for drawing when a retired doctor who lived next door to the family paid Disney to draw pictures of his horse.

In school, Disney was an average student, with a penchant for doodling rather than listening to his teachers.[3] During high school, he also occupied his time drawing patriotic cartoons for the school newspaper. And, when he could find enough time, he would attend night classes at the Chicago Art Institute.

At 16, Disney finally dropped out of school to join the army, only to be rejected for being too young. He then decided to forge his birth certificate and join the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps, but by the time he finished his training, the First World War had ended. Disney decided to stay in France and worked as an ambulance driver, all the while continuing to spend his spare time drawing, completely covering his ambulance with his own cartoon creations. After two years, Disney grew lonely in Europe and returned to America, where he decided to finally pursue his passion seriously.

Upon returning, Disney immediately went to see his family; he wanted to share with them his newfound dreams of becoming an artist. But, his father did not support his career choice. Then, with the help of his older brother, Roy, Disney found work making print ads at the Pesemen-Rubin Art Studio and continued experimenting with animation. He soon found himself fascinated with the possibilities of animation and knew he had finally found his niche[4].

At last, he created the world’s first multimedia empire and he did it by making people smile. An entrepreneur with a natural flair[5] for animation, Disney became one of the world’s most well-known and respected entertainers. What was the secret behind the magic?

He followed his dreams: “You reach a point where you don’t work for money,” Disney said. He reached that point early on in his career; he had pursued his passion to the point where he had made it successful and his work became a pleasure. He encountered obstacles and discouragement at every step of the way, but was passionate and courageous enough to continue working towards his goals in spite of everything. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me,” he said.

He was creative: “I first saw the site for Disneyland back in 1953,” said Disney. “In those days it was all flat land—no rivers, no mountains, no castles or rocket ships—just orange groves, and a few acres of walnut trees.” Where others saw a blank canvas, Disney saw a work of art. He noticed opportunities where others had not even been looking. It was his creativity and his fertile imagination that enabled him to sustain a decades-long successful career.

He seized control: After an early learning experience, Disney quickly came to understand the importance of having creative control and legal ownership of his work. Once he had become his own boss, Disney prided himself on his management skills, maintaining a hands-on approach while still giving his employers a degree of independence. By taking control of his own business, Disney steered[6] himself to success.

He was selective: “You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth[7] may be the best thing in the world for you,” said Disney. Despite his success, Disney was not without his failures. He, too, had to learn the difference between passion and blind faith. While passion was a crucial ingredient to his success, Disney grew to understand that passion and business did not always go hand in hand and that success required sacrifice.

Disney died on December 15, 1966 but his legacy carries on to this day. As a producer, director and animator, Disney created one of the world’s most recognized and cherished brands. To other budding entrepreneurs, he says this: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Walt Disney Quotes

“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing–that it was all started by a mouse.”

“Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.”[8]

“To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land.”

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

“I am in no sense of the word a great artist, not even a great animator; I have always had men working for me whose skills were greater than my own. I am an idea man.”

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.”

“My business is making people, especially children, happy.”

“Fantasy and reality often overlap[9].”

“Why be a governor or senator when you can be king of Disneyland?”

“I’ve always been bored with just making money. I’ve wanted to do things; I wanted to build things, to get something going...”

試著想象一個沒有沃爾特?迪斯尼的世界，一個沒有他的魔力、樂觀和童真想象力的世界。沃爾特?迪斯尼不僅是動畫領域的先驅，也改變了娛樂世界。在上個世紀，沒有任何一個人比他更能觸動成千上萬美國人的心靈、思想和情感。

迪斯尼原名沃爾特?伊萊亞斯?迪斯尼，于1901年12月5日出生于伊利諾斯州的芝加哥市，迪斯尼是歷史上最富有想象力的人之一，是能夠把構想變成一個價值十億美元公司、所創造的財富在他去世數十年后仍然為大家所享用的人。迪斯尼一家很快從日益危險的芝加哥搬到了密蘇里州的馬瑟林鎮，并在那里購買了一個農場。

正是在這個農場，迪斯尼首次發現畫畫是他的興趣所在，這緣起于他家隔壁的一位退休醫生出錢請他為自己的馬畫像。

在學校里，迪斯尼表現平平，喜歡自己亂涂亂畫，不喜歡聽老師講課。在讀高中時，他還忙著為校報畫愛國的漫畫。而且，一有時間，他就去參加芝加哥藝術學院的夜校課。

在16歲那年，迪斯尼最終輟學去參軍，結果由于年齡太小而被拒絕。然后他決定偽造出生證明去參加美國紅十字會救護隊，但是等他訓練完畢的時候，一戰已經結束了。迪斯尼決定留在法國當一名救護車司機，同時在業余時間繼續畫畫，他開的救護車上全都是他的卡通作品。又過了兩年，迪斯尼在歐洲漸覺孤單，便返回美國，他最終下定決心要認真追求自己的愛好。

迪斯尼一回國，就立刻去看望他的家人;他想同他們分享他要成為一名畫家的新夢想。可是，他父親并不支持他的這個職業選擇。之后，在他哥哥羅伊的幫助下，迪斯尼在裴思曼-魯賓藝術工作室找到了一份制作印刷廣告的工作，在此期間，他也繼續著動畫方面的嘗試。不久，他便發現自己完全被動畫行業的潛力所吸引，他知道他終于找到了屬于自己的位置。

最終，迪斯尼通過讓別人歡笑，創建了世界上第一個多媒體帝國。他是一個有動畫天分的企業家，也是世界上最著名、最受尊重的娛樂業人物之一。那么在這神奇魔力背后的秘密是什么呢?

他追隨自己的夢想：正如他自己所言，“要達到這樣一種境界，不是為了賺錢而工作。”而在他事業初期，他就已經達到這個境界了;他跟隨自己的興趣所至，得以成功，工作對他來說是一種樂趣。在這條道路上，他所走的每一步都會遇到阻礙和挫折，但是他憑借自己的熱情和勇氣，克服一切困難，一直朝著目標奮進。他說：“我人生中所有的逆境，所有的困難和阻礙，都讓我變得更加強大。”

他富有創造性：“我首次看到迪斯尼樂園的選址是在1953年，”他說，“那時它還全是平坦的土地——沒有河流，沒有山岳，沒有城堡，也沒有火箭船——只有橘子林和幾英畝核桃樹。”別人眼里看到的是一塊空白的畫布，而在迪斯尼眼里卻是一件藝術作品。在別人壓根不去注意的地方，他發現了機會。正是他的創造力和豐富的想象力使得他的事業保持幾十年的成功。

他善于抓住控制權：經歷了一段起步期以后，迪斯尼很快認識到擁有對他工作的靈活控制權和法定所有權的重要性。他自己一當上老板以后，迪斯尼就足以為自己的管理才能感到驕傲，他既親力親為，又給他的員工一定的自主性。通過掌控自己的企業，迪斯尼駛向成功的彼岸。

他懂得選擇：“當它發生的時候你可能意識不到，但是始料未及的厄運可能是世上最好的事情，”迪斯尼說道。盡管他很成功，但迪斯尼也不是沒遭遇過挫折。同樣，他也得學著認識熱情和盲目信仰之間的區別。雖然熱情是他事業成功的一個關鍵因素，但是迪斯尼慢慢認識到熱情和事業并不永遠都是相輔相成的，還有，成功是要付出代價的。

迪斯尼于1966年12月15日去世，但他帶來的財富讓我們享用至今。作為一個制片人、導演和動畫制作者，迪斯尼創造了世界上最受認可、最受喜愛的品牌之一。對于其他剛剛起步的企業家，他這樣說：“停止夸夸其談，開始埋頭苦干，這就是開始的方式。