October 3, 2001

ARNOLD'S "PERSPECTIVES"

On September 21st, 2001 Arnold joined several world-renowned figures, including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who spoke at the Sacramento Metro Chamber's annual "Perspectives" event. A sell-out crowd of more than 3,000 packed the Sacramento Convention Center for the annual conference.

Arnold's speech received two standing ovations.

Following is a transcript of Arnold's speech, available "exclusively" on Schwarzenegger.com

"The Education of an American" ? 2001

Perspectives 2001 Conference
Sacramento, California
Friday, September 21, 2001

Good afternoon, everybody.

Before I begin my speech today, I just want to say that, like everyone here, I've been humbled by the courage and bravery we've seen in the last ten days.

It's been such a difficult time for all of us in our country, but especially for those in New York and Washington - those who lost people in this tragedy.

But I've also been inspired by all the incredible acts of heroism we've seen - and the spirit of volunteerism and patriotism that's pulled our country together. I just want to say that I stand here today, so proud to be an American.

Now, I want to thank the organizers for inviting me here today. It's quite an impressive list of speakers you've been listening to: a president, a politician, a cabinet secretary, all you captains of industry here.

And Henry Kissinger! Oh, God, I just love his accent!

No, really - every single one of your speakers so far has been a heavyweight in the credentials department. I could have been intimidated by that. But then I thought, "Hey, I have my own credentials."

After all, not one of them ever had 22-inch biceps.

And none of them has ever been in the Guinness Book of World Records. I was in the Guinness Book of World Records twice! Once for the most perfectly developed physique and the second time for the worst American accent.

And most important of all . . . not one of them ever made a movie with Sharon Stone!

You know, I thought a lot about what I wanted to talk about today - so I started asking for ideas from my friends.

The guys at the gym said I should talk about how you can have washboard abs after the age of 40.

My agent said I should talk about Terminator-3.

My financial buddies said I should tell you how I made my first million in real estate.

And Sharon Stone, said I should talk about - oh, never mind.

Finally, I asked myself. And I realized I'd just better speak about what's on my mind most right now.

You know, all of those areas - bodybuilding, business, and the box office - are part of the story of my life - and I'm proud of it. But as the years have gone by, I've grown and changed because of them - and through them - to become the man I am today.

So, like any smart husband, I decided to steal an idea from my wife, who wrote a book last year called: "Ten Things I Wish I?d Known Before I Went Out Into the Real World". You can buy it on Amazon.com .

Actually for me, going out into the "real world" meant "coming to America." And it wasn't really the "things" I wish I'd known before I came - because I always thought I knew everything already. That's part of my charm!

But you know, the truth is, some of the things I knew when I came here were right on the money - and served me well. But some of the things I thought were true turned out to be terribly wrong .

So that's what I want to talk to you about today. The things I was dead right about - and the things I had dead wrong.

Living those first few principles - and learning the second principles - have made up my education as an American.

The first thing I was dead right about was this: where you?re from is not as important as where you?re going . Take it from me: if you're too focused on where you started, you'll never get where you're headed.

Where I started was a little farm community outside the Austrian town of Graz. Now, that may make you think of sunny hillsides with buttercups dancing in the breeze, and happy children with rosy cheeks, eating strudel.

But that's not what I think of.

First of all, strudel was a luxury. It was right after World War II, and the country was absolutely devastated and destroyed. We had no flushing toilet in the house. No refrigerator. No television. What we did have was food rations - and we did have British tanks around to give us kids an occasional lift to the elementary school.

But you know what? My background has never held me back. Instead, I?ve used it to my advantage - to fuel the intense desire to get the hell out of there! It's that desire that powered a very strong will in me.

I always say, "If you starve someone, you only make them more hungry." And I definitely was hungry to break out and do something very special.

Let me tell you something. I hear people whining all the time: "I can?t compete! How can I go mano a mano with the Ivy League guys who had all the advantages? I don?t have the upbringing!"

I could have said that. I could have said I couldn't compete when I met Maria and she invited me up to Hyannis Port to meet her family. I could have been intimidated, but instead I turned the situation around and used it to my advantage. I told myself, "This is great! Here I am - meeting really smart people and political leaders who've dedicated their lives to public service. I can learn from them!"

And it turned out to be the smartest thing I ever did. Because not only did I learn a lot, I got a wife out of it, too!

So we move on to another principle I was dead right about: No one's ever been successful without having a goal - and a plan for how to achieve it.

Whether it's John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan - an astronaut who wants to go to the moon, or a kid who wants to become a doctor - these are all people who have a plan, map it out, and then go for it.

My own plan formed when I was 14 years old. My father had wanted me to be a police officer like he was. My mother wanted me to go to trade school. But me - I wanted to find my own passion - something I could excel in - be great in!

One day, I saw a magazine in a store window. The cover showed a muscle man in an ancient warrior costume, posing like this... It said, "Mr. Universe Now Starring In Hercules Movie."

I scraped up the pfennigs that I had left and bought that magazine. It turned out that Hercules was an English guy who?d won the Mr. Universe title in bodybuilding, and parlayed that into a movie career - then took the money and built a gym empire.

His name was Reg Park. Bingo! I had my role model! If he could do it, I could do it! I?d win Mr. Universe. I?d become a movie star. I?d get rich. One, two, three - bing, bang, boom! I found my passion. I got my goal.

I worked on the bodybuilding like a maniac - in the gym, five hours a day. The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America -- the land of opportunity where I could become a star and get rich. Yes!

I remember guys going into the gym complaining they had to make themselves work out that day. Me, I couldn't wait to get there and do my first chin-up, my first squat, my first bench-press - because I knew each rep and every weight I lifted would get me one step closer to my dream.

And how did I stay on track? By staying on track! The main thing is, there?s no room for fear in the picture. Of course you're going to feel fear when you're risking failure. But you've got to break through the fear and try anyway - or spend the rest of your life frustrated and angry with yourself. And when you do break through, that?s what builds your strength for the next time. Taking risks builds confidence.

Simple example: Back when I was weight lifting, the European record for the bench-press was 500 pounds. Could I do it? I had no idea. Of course I was scared, but I had to try - because hating myself for not trying seemed worse.

But I did do it. Not the first time, not the second time, but the tenth time. Then I broke the record - 510 pounds, 520 . . .

The same with real estate: the higher the stakes, the more you risk losing - but the more you stand to gain.

In Hollywood, I was very comfortable making my action movies - and I was breaking box office records all over the world. But I was hungry - so I had to take the next step. Of course I was afraid to try comedy with the movie "Twins". Would people accept me in a comedy? Would they find me funny? But I took the chance - and that built my confidence to broaden out even more.

The bottom line is: if you feel passionate about your goal - and it's what you really want - then you'll do whatever it takes to achieve it. No matter how much sweat, pain, and sacrifice - no matter how many obstacles you have to break through - just don't ever say no!

And I was dead right about this one, too: just don?t listen to ?no?!

Now when you've got your goal, you have to not only visualize it, live it, and breathe it. You also have to telegraph it to everybody around you.

"I'm going to be the strongest man in the world!"

"I'm going to make it in America!"

"I?m going to be a Hollywood star!"

It's a way to commit yourself to it.

Of course, when you announce these ambitious goals to people, what do you think they'll do? Well, some people will laugh. Some will roll their eyes. And a lot of them will just tell you "You'll never make it, kid!"

I've experienced all of those.

Plenty of people laughed at me. My own mother actually went to the family doctor: "Doctor, my son is losing his mind! He's got pictures plastered all over his walls. Of men! Men with oiled bodies, with little posing trunks! He says he wants to look at them! Herr Doktor . . . Where did we go wrong?"

The doctor heard my story and calmed down my parents.

Then, when I got to Hollywood, people really laughed their heads off. The agents said: "No one's ever made it with that big a body -- or that bad an accent - or that long and foreign a name. You in movies? Stop it! You're killing me!"

You know, even Maria's parents didn't think I could make it. I told the Shrivers that I was going to be a number-one box office star some day, like Clint Eastwood. They said that was very, very lovely, but didn't I think I should have a fallback - like a nice Master's Degree in nutrition? They were worried about their daughter's security.

Of course, as soon as the first movie started taking off, they said: "Way to go!" And they've been behind me 100% ever since!

The bottom line? Listen to yourself as you follow your dreams. And surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you and believe in you. And just don't listen to people who don?t.

And finally: the American Dream.

Perhaps the thing I was most dead right about was this country - America.

Ever since childhood, I fantasized over the pictures of America I saw in the magazines, the movies, the newsreels. I loved the skyscrapers and the beaches - the huge cars with fins, zooming down five-lane highways. I said to myself, "I want to be there! I want to be part of it!"

Well, I came here in 1968 with $20 in my pocket. And I have to tell you that within a week, I had an apartment and dishes and silverware and a television - all from people I had just met that week in the gym.

And within six months, I was asked to star in a movie. All right, granted they didn't use my real name - I was billed as "Arnold Strong ". And they didn't use my real voice. They dubbed it in. But I was in a movie! It's called "Hercules in New York". And I know every one of you has seen it. And you can rent it at Blockbuster!

But I have to say, I called all my friends back in Europe and said: "It's true! You can do anything in this country! Come over here! It's everything you imagine - and more!"

I decided right then - very early on - that I wanted to weave myself right into the fabric of America. I wanted to become a citizen. I wanted to work hard. I wanted to go to college and study politics, economics, and culture.

Today I stand before you - an immigrant success story.

I am the living, breathing incarnation of The American Dream.

I became the leading bodybuilder in the world. I've made millions as a businessman many times over. My movies have hit more than $2 billion at the box office.

I was dead right about it: If you have the desire and the determination - and you are willing to be a part of this country and embrace it - it will embrace you. There is nowhere like it on Earth.

Okay. So if I'm so damn smart, where was I wrong?

My wife wants me to tell you I had some wrong-headed ideas about women and Democrats.

Of course, the passage of time makes human beings not just older, but wiser. In that time, I've educated myself. I've traveled around the country and the world meeting smart and interesting people - political leaders, religious leaders - educators and community leaders. I've been exposed to new ways to think - and new things to think about.

I've lived here in the United States for 33 years now. You know, there's a big difference between the education of an Austrian and the education of an American. It's the difference between the Old World and the New.

And so, in my continuing education as an American, I've learned that many of the old ideas I lived by were flat-out untrue.

For instance:

I thought that rich and famous equals greatness. I was dead wrong!

As I got busy on my American dream, I just knew it: if I could make a million bucks, I?d get the cars and the chicks. I'd have it made - the whole enchilada. Career, fame, success - those were the ingredients of greatness.

But I was so wrong about success - and the way I found out was by total coincidence.

The University of Wisconsin was doing a little research program, and they needed someone who was experienced in weight-resistance training. They asked me to come and help out.

I was to teach a dozen mentally disabled kids how to bench-press. The first kid lay back on the bench, and I brought him a 20-pound bar with two 10-pound plates - 40 pounds. He freaked out and jumped up - scared out of his mind the bar would come crashing down and kill him. "No problem at all," I said. "You don't have to do it. Don't worry."

The next kid lifted it a couple of times - some others went up to ten. But right at the end of the line was the first kid, again. He wanted to give it another shot.

I brought him the 20-pound bar alone. He lifted it up high, 10 repetitions. He got so excited, he asked me to put the plates back on - and bench-pressed the 40 pounds, 10 reps. He wanted more . Sixty pounds now, ten reps. That kid got up to 80 pounds, 10 repetitions. He jumped up to high-five the other kids, who were so inspired they all took another turn.

It was a real eye-opener for me. When I saw that kid go from terror to full self-confidence in just one short session - that was the big winner for me. It had an immediate and measurable impact. I went back to my hotel room, still delighted and excited. I asked myself why I felt so damn great after just a few hours with those children? The experience made me feel more fulfilled than the money and the celebrity ever had.

Later on, my father-in-law hit the nail right on the head - in a speech. You know, Sargent Shriver started the Peace Corps and 20 other public service programs.

He put it this way: "Break that mirror in front of you - that mirror that only lets you look at yourself. Break it, so you can look beyond! You'll see the rest of the world. You'll see people who need your help! "

That rang true with me. I realized that?s why I felt such joy working with those kids. I was looking beyond the mirror for the first time. I was giving back!

So for years now, I've gone from country to country - continent to continent - spreading the message of the Special Olympics - the message of acceptance and inclusion and equal opportunity for the mentally disabled.

I've set up weight-training programs. I've coached. I've gone to countless competitions - waiting to give the athletes a big hug at the finish line. I've handed out medals.

I've met countless athletes and families who wage a daily battle against the incredible odds stacked against them. Overcoming obstacles is a way of life for them - and an inspiration to me.

As a matter of fact, on one of those trips for Special Olympics this summer, I went to South Africa and had the great fortune to meet one of my heroes - Nelson Mandela. Talk about greatness!

We all know his story: Twenty-seven years imprisoned unjustly because he believed black South Africans should be equal. But when he was released, instead of seeking revenge and retaliation for his treatment he talked about forgiveness. The first thing he did was to visit the widow of the man who'd imprisoned him.

Mandela said the most important thing was reconciliation - bringing his nation together. He became a living message of love and inclusion and tolerance. He's what I would call a true action hero!

Making a difference beyond the mirror - that?s my measure of greatness today. It's what makes me feel good about myself... way better than being able to buy a $20 cigar.

And here's another one I was dead wrong about: you're on your own.

Bodybuilding is a lonely sport. It's you and that mirror - and the iron and the machines. When you lose, you have only yourself to blame. But when you win, you get all the credit!

When I came to the United States, I just assumed that I would keep on doing everything myself and take all the credit.

But when I got to Hollywood, I was in for a rude awakening. Because whether it's Lawrence Olivier doing Shakespeare, or me doing an action movie, making motion pictures in a team sport.

No matter how good you look in real life, do you know how many hundreds of people it takes to make you look good in a movie?

It's the director and the director of photography... makeup, hair, and wardrobe... visual effects... special effects... stunt coordinators... not to mention the electricians and lighting guys, carpenters and accountants, and on and on.

A hundred-and-fifty people minimum. That's why the credits are so long.

The whole idea of self-reliance went out the window. It was a very humbling realization: They can make a movie without me, but I can't even make a short subject without them!

In fact, bodybuilding was probably the last time I reached a goal alone. And thinking about it honestly now, I probably didn't even do that by myself.

And it's been true in every area of my life.

I couldn't have written my six books without the co-writers and the editors and the photographers and the publishers.

And believe me, it takes almost 150 organizers behind-the-scenes to put on the Arnold's Classic - the biggest world championship in bodybuilding, held every year in Columbus, Ohio.

I couldn't publicize my movies on my own. I couldn?t do my Special Olympics work or the other charities I'm involved with on my own.

And of course, I couldn't have learned about business without a parade of teachers guiding me... from Milton Friedman to Donald Trump... and now, Les Wexner and Warren Buffett.

I even learned a thing or two from Planet Hollywood, such as when to get out! And I did!

The place I've really learned that you don't do anything on your own is in fatherhood. Being the father of four amazing children is the role I take most seriously in my life - and it does take a lot of help from a lot of people to get the job done.

The bottom line is - I used to think it was shameful or silly to need help. I was wrong about that. Now, I know it's stupid not to ask for it when you need it - and ridiculous not to appreciate it when you get it.

Here?s another good one: Republican politics. I was politically incorrect about it. Meaning: dead wrong.

My first exposure to American politics was the presidential campaign of 1968. I'd just arrived here. I was 21 years old. I knew very little English - so a friend had to translate what Nixon and Humphrey were saying.

But this much I learned:

Humphrey talked about protectionism, more government planning, and a lot of liberal solutions. It sounded like the socialism in Austria.

The Republican - Nixon - talked about less government, lower taxes, the free market, international trade, and a stronger military.

After the translator finished, I realized: Yes! I?m a Republican!

From then on, I campaigned for Republicans. I voted for Republicans. I gave money to Republicans. I pretty much thought it was as simple as the movies: The Republicans were the Good Guys - and the Democrats were the Bad Guys.

But then I traveled around the country for the Special Olympics and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. I met with Republican and Democratic governors, senators, Congressional leaders, mayors and other local officials.

I learned how American really worked. And what I realized was this: both parties had good ideas - so it was dead wrong to see things only as us versus them, Republicans versus Democrats. That was destructive.

I've seen it myself. The more the two parties point fingers at each other for the sake of political gain, the more divided we become as a people. We?ve certainly seen the opposite in the past week-and-a-half - how powerful it is when this nation comes together.

As for me, in the past dozen years I've worked with Republican Presidents and Governors. And now I'm working closely with the new Democratic Mayor of Los Angeles, Jim Hahn. That's the only way to go - the only way to move forward. That's by taking the politics out of public policy.

Now, I can hear people saying: "Arnold! That means you're not a real Republican anymore!"

As a matter of fact, Jesse Ventura said: "You're sounding a lot like a member of the Reform Party!"

And the Kennedys are just chomping at the bit! They've been waiting for me to come around for years!

Well, not my wife, Maria. She's tried - and she knows I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not switching sides. I'm still a Republican.

I still believe government should ensure a fair start and fair competition for all. It shouldn't rig outcomes.

I still believe in lower taxes - and the power of the free market.

I still believe in controlling government spending. If it's a bad program, let's get rid of it.

But I also believe that government is important - and should be in the business of educating our children, defending our people, ensuring public safety, advancing scientific and medical research, and more.

So, yes, I?m still a Republican. Just not the same Republican I was at the beginning of this journey I call my education as an American.

I am still strong. I'm just a lot more flexible.

Which brings me to the biggest thing I was dead wrong about: whose dream is it, anyway?

It was a great day for me in 1989, when I was called to Washington. President Bush named me Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness. I traveled to all 50 states, promoting fitness and sports programs in schools.

I thought I could inspire kids with a powerful message - especially in the inner cities: "If a poor kid like me from a farm town in Europe can make it, then anyone can make it in this great country!"

This was where I got my biggest and rudest awakening.

Because as I went around from inner city to inner city, I saw first-hand that this is not the land of opportunity for those kids. Most of them don't get any of the tools that I got.

Look at everything I had in my childhood: two parents, a well-equipped school with terrific sports facilities, the same education and books for every kid in the country. After school, there was a parent to help with homework - and safe places to do sports like soccer, sledding and skating.

I was accountable to someone all the time: parents, teachers, mentors, and coaches. Around the clock, I had people taking care of me, encouraging, and nurturing me.

All this gave me a strong foundation, which gave me the confidence, which gave me the inner strength to believe in myself and know I could make it. And it worked.

You know, I used to go around saying: "Everybody should pull himself up by his own bootstraps - just like I did!"

What I learned about this country is this: Not everybody has boots.

I saw it firsthand, when I met the children in the inner cities. We think we're motivating them by beaming the American Dream in to them - on TV and in movies.

Wrong!

Most of them don't get the motivation. Instead, they hear: "You're a loser. You?ll never make it out of the barrio or the ghetto. You'll never get out."

The more I saw, the more I realized I'd been wrong when I thought the American Dream was available to everyone. Because even though it is the Land of Opportunity for me, and the majority of Americans, millions are left behind. It?s not a level playing field for them.

This was shocking to me. What could I do about it? The answer has become a passion of my life.

I started working with a remarkable man, Danny Hernandez, at an after-school sports and education program in East Los Angeles called the Inner City Games. In 1995, I created the Inner City Games Foundation, in order to take the program national.

To date, ICG has reached a half-million kids in 15 cities, and we're growing. We have more than 300 sports programs of every kind, from basketball to swimming to fencing, plus 175 computer programs - in addition to mentoring and tutoring programs, art and dance, chess and cheerleading, and on and on.

They're run by powerful public-private partnerships with each city's mayor - plus local leaders from schools, public housing, and parks and recreation, funded with millions of dollars from local businesses and national sponsors.

We have more than a thousand volunteers - including mentors and coaches. They give the children that one-on-one attention, teaching them the tools of excellence: how to set goals and reach them, in chess or computers or sports.

While they have fun, the kids are learning discipline and diligence. In other words, they're learning how to succeed in life!

You know, we often delude ourselves in this country by saying: "The children are our country's future" - and pointing to our laws promising equal education for all.

Excuse me? Then why are we leaving a big chunk of our kids behind?

Listen to this: a new California study shows that the most likely time for kids to get into trouble with sex, drugs and violence is between 3 and 4 in the afternoon. It says crime dropped two-thirds in high-risk California communities when kids participated in after-school programs.

Which shows you that helping kids fill that after-school time by focusing on positive activities really works!

Kids shooting hoops - instead of shooting dope or shooting guns. How great is that?

And I'll go further: I think we need really good, fun after-school programs all across California and all across this country - so no parent has to worry what their kids are doing while they're at work.

I know you're going to say: "Arnold, you've been hanging out with those Kennedys too much. You want the government to raise our kids!" No I don't. I'm saying make the program available - and leave it up to the parents and kids whether they want to join or not.

Here comes another bottom line: What makes me happy today is not just walking down the red carpet at the premiere of a movie.

What makes me happy is going to an Inner City Games after-school program in East L.A. and getting terminated in chess by an 8-year-old girl! Or seeing a 12-year-old boy in San Antonio do homework on a computer for the first time.

It's getting kids to say no to drugs and guns, gangs and violence - and say yes to school and sports, life and hope.

So really, it's not just the bodybuilding and the business and the box office for me anymore. Helping the kids who need help is the most important goal I have.

This is what it means for me to be an American. Maybe that's what it could mean for you, too! No matter how much success you have, you can be more successful by reaching out to someone who needs you.

So I encourage you to look around your community and see what you can do. What can all of us do to give back? I just know we can beat California's problems - especially with children who need our help.

The cynics say we can't do it - that the economy or politics stand in our way. So what? Remember what I said: "When people say no, just don?t listen!"

But do listen to this: Dr. Martin Luther King told us: "Everyone has the power for greatness . . . because greatness is determined by service."

This has been the biggest and best lesson of my "Education as an American".

And that one, I know, is dead right!

Thanks for listening.

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