Jordan Peele Overcame Self-Doubt to Become the First Black Person to Win an Oscar for Original Screenplay He was also nominated for best director for "Get Out," his horror film with a social bent.

By Stephen J. Bronner Edited by Dan Bova

Albert L. Ortega | Getty Images

Jordan Peele last night became the first black person to win an Oscar for best original screenplay for Get Out, which he was also nominated for directing, and revealed that self-doubt almost stopped him from finishing his screenplay.

"This means so much to me. I stopped writing this movie about 20 times, because I thought it was impossible," he said during his acceptance speech. "I thought it wasn't going to work. I thought no one would ever make this movie. But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it. So I want to dedicate this to the people who raised my voice and let me make this movie."

Related: 17 Inspirational Quotes From Oscar-Winning Movies

We all encounter hurdles in our lives, from both that nagging voice in your head to naysayers, but if you believe in your vision, you should see it through to completion. You just may make history.

And of course, there's probably no better feeling than being cheered on by your bestie.

Stephen J. Bronner

Entrepreneur Staff

News Director

Stephen J. Bronner writes mostly about packaged foods. His weekly column is The Digest. He is very much on top of his email.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Franchise

She Quit Her Corporate Job to Sell a Refreshing Summer Staple — Then Made $38,000 the First Week and $1 Million in Year 1

With nearly $40,000 in first-week sales and $1 million in her first year, DeSario Turner's story is a blueprint for success.

Business News

JPMorgan Will Fire Junior Bankers Over a Common Practice That CEO Jamie Dimon Calls 'Unethical'

According to a leaked memo, JPMorgan is telling junior analysts that they will be fired if they accept another job in advance.

Business News

Nvidia's CEO Says It No Longer Matters If You Never Learned to Code: 'There's a New Programming Language'

At London Tech Week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said even non-programmers can write code thanks to AI.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

These Are the 10 Most (and Least) Expensive States for Single People, According to a New Analysis

The report found that there are no U.S. states where a single person can live comfortably with a salary under $80,000.

Science & Technology

This College Student Wanted to Help People During the LA Wildfires. She Built a Practical App in Just 1 Month — and Won Apple's Annual Competition.

Marina Lee, 21, received an urgent call from her grandmother that would inspire an ambitious coding project.