Lessons on Success and Persistence from the Life of Dr. Seuss

In this episode, I share several little known stories I learned from reading and studying about the life of Theodor Seuss Geisel or Dr. Seuss as he is known to millions around the world. I recently finished an excellent biography by Brian Jay Jones entitled Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination.

This book is an incredible look inside the life of a fascinating individual who defined the reading of children over the years as he wrote and illustrated classics such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

“At the time of his death, Dr. Seuss had published forty-eight books in more than twenty languages….” (Becoming Dr. Seuss, p. 428) and had sold more than 600 million copies of books. His books were adapted into 11 television specials, five feature films, a Broadway musical and four television series.

It wasn’t always apparent that Geisel would be a best-selling author and in this episode, I share how he got his start and how he persisted for nearly twenty years before he had a big hit with his book The Cat in the Hat.