Morgan Freeman: From Struggles to Success

How a boy from Mississippi became a Hollywood legend

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman’s life wasn’t always easy. When he was just 2, he went to live with his grandmother in Mississippi. “For the next four years, Morgan lived at his grandmother’s house with his older sister, Iris Virginia Freeman.” After his grandmother passed away, he moved to Chicago, where life was much harder. As Freeman later reflected, “If you wake up and the snow is knee-deep outside, you are not filled with rage. It’s just something that you’ve got to cope with. If you’re living in a situation it’s the only situation that you know, and you’ve got to deal with it.”

There, he even joined a street gang called the Spiders for protection. “According to Freeman, he had to do some initiations to get into the gang, which involved him committing some crimes, but his heart was never in it and he abhorred the inherent violence of gang life.” He learned early that, “As long as you feel like a victim, you are one.”

‘Courage is the key to life itself’

His big break came in 1971 when he played “Easy Reader” on The Electric Company. Kids loved him, but he struggled with being stuck in the role and turned to drinking. Eventually, he hit bottom. “I lay there thinking, ‘You’re lying face down, drunk, and this will never do.’ And so, I quit drinking.” Later, he admitted, “Was I always going to be here? No I was not. I was going to be homeless at one time, a taxi driver, truck driver, or any kind of job that would get me a crust of bread. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Even when he was broke and living off raw eggs and milk, Morgan never gave up. He believed strongly that, “The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit.” He kept chasing his dream and encouraged others too: “I always tell my kids if you lay down, people will step over you. But if you keep scrambling, if you keep going, someone will always, always give you a hand. Always. But you gotta keep dancing, you gotta keep your feet moving.”

Today, Morgan Freeman is admired around the world, not just for his acting, but for his wisdom. He reminds us, “Challenge yourself; it’s the only path which leads to growth.” And even after all his struggles, he can say, “I can say that life is good to me. Has been and is good. So I think my task is to be good to it. How do you be good to life? You live it.”

Morgan Freeman’s story shows that determination, resilience, and kindness can lead you through even the hardest times. He never stopped moving forward, and that’s what makes him such a powerful role model for all of us.

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