Wally Amos (b.1936,) fully Wallace Amos, Jr., is an American entrepreneur, TV personality, and author of self-help books. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie and The Cookie Kahuna gourmet cookie brands and was the host of the adult-reading program, Learn to Read.
Born in Tallahassee, Florida, to parents who could not read or write, Amos began his career as a mail clerk. He became a talent agent and an entertainment manager working with such musicians as Simon & Garfunkel, the Supremes, Franklin Ajaye, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Abby Lincoln, and Oscar Brown Jr.
Amos gained prominence as an entrepreneur in the mid-1970s when he developed and marketed a brand of chocolate-chip cookies under the “Famous Amos” brand. Two years after opening his first store in Los Angeles, Amos was at the helm of a large corporation, selling cookies as well as other “Famous Amos” t-shirts, umbrellas, duffle bags, jewelry, and other paraphernalia.
After selling the Famous Amos Company because of financial troubles, Amos started other cookie-related ventures. He is also a popular motivational speaker who has used his celebrity status to promote literacy and to support school dropout-prevention programs.
Amos is also the author of four books: the autobiographical volume The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips (1983,) the motivational tome The Power in You: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength (1988,) The Man with No Name (1994,) Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life (1996,) The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living (2001.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Wally Amos
Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.
—Wally Amos
It doesn’t matter how many say it cannot be done or how many people have tried it before; it’s important to realize that whatever you’re doing, it’s your first attempt at it.
—Wally Amos
Topics: Belief
It’s so important to believe in yourself. Believe that you can do it, under any circumstances. Because if you believe you can, then you really will. That belief just keeps you searching for the answers, and then pretty soon you get it.
—Wally Amos
Topics: Confidence, Assurance
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