The most traditionally successful people I know were divorced and they told me sacrificing their families wasn't worth it. Hold your children up high as your greatest inventions because they are.
John Fisher
University of San Francisco Commencement 2018, 2018
Video starts at 0:00 — the moment this quote was spoken
The Story Behind This Quote
Fisher, a tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, opened with a disarming confession: his father's commencement speaker had been Martin Luther King Jr. — and his father didn't show up. The self-deprecating humor set the tone for a speech that prioritized family over professional achievement. This wasn't abstract advice. Fisher said he'd spent a decade at USF lecturing students and 'banging my fist on chalkboards and desks — pleading with you guys, as you started your projects, your companies, your careers, to marry the right person.' As a tech inventor whose products were used by millions, he could speak to the comparison directly: 'I invented something many of you use every day and it doesn't compare to any day with a happy, healthy child.'