“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse”
Disneyland — the culmination of many of Walt Disney’s dreams and part of the “that” mentioned above — opened its gates to the world on July 17, 1955. Despite doubts that the park would be a success (Disney himself is quoted as saying that most of the people he talked to “thought it would be a financial disaster — closed and forgotten within the first year”), Disneyland found success in California, and similar parks are now found across the world.
To help celebrate Walt Disney’s birthday and his visionary creations, here are 20 quotes from the man himself.
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome” — Walt Disney
“We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths” — Walt Disney
“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world” — Walt Disney
“I believe in being an innovator” — Walt Disney
“It is my wish to delight all members of the family, young and old, parent and child” — Walt Disney
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” — Walt Disney
“You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it requires people to make the dream a reality” — Walt Disney
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” — Walt Disney
“You don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them” — Walt Disney
“When we consider a new project, we really study it — not just the surface idea, but everything about it” — Walt Disney
“Most of my life I have done what I wanted to do. I have had fun on the job” — Walt Disney
“I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the park. I want them to feel they’re in another world” — Walt Disney
“Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group, a tribute to our combined effort” — Walt Disney
“I’ve wanted to do things; I wanted to build things, to get something going” — Walt Disney
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future” — Walt Disney
“Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world” — Walt Disney
“We work hard to do the best job possible” — Walt Disney
“Togetherness, for me, means teamwork” — Walt Disney
“Get a good idea, and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done, and done right” — Walt Disney
“Everyone needs deadlines” — Walt Disney
