# Jack Canfield ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2026-05-04 Jack Canfield.jpg|400]] Jack Canfield (born August 19, 1944) is an American author, motivational speaker, and success coach. He is best known as the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in print in over 40 languages. ## Background Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Canfield spent his teen years in Wheeling, West Virginia and graduated from the Linsly Military Institute in 1962. He received his B.A. in Chinese History from Harvard University in 1966 and his M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1973. Canfield began his career teaching high school in Chicago in 1967, then worked at various educational and development organizations. He co-authored "100 Ways to Enhance Self-Concept in the Classroom" in 1976 and ran a residential Gestalt center called the New England Center for Personal and Organizational Development. ## Career Achievements ### Chicken Soup for the Soul In 1993, Canfield co-authored "Chicken Soup for the Soul" with Mark Victor Hansen. The book became the third bestselling book in the United States during the mid-1990s and spawned a massive franchise with hundreds of titles. ### The Success Principles In 2005, Canfield co-authored "The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be" with Janet Switzer, presenting 67 essential principles for achieving goals and creating success. ### Records and Recognition - Holds a Guinness World Record for having seven books on the New York Times bestseller list simultaneously - Named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of America by the U.S. Jaycees in 1978 - Featured in the self-development film "The Secret" (2006) - Founding member of the Transformational Leadership Council ## Organizations - Founder and CEO of The Canfield Training Group in Santa Barbara, California - Founder of The Foundation for Self-Esteem in Culver City, California ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Jack Canfield]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Jack Canfield]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[Your habits will determine your future]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[Jack Canfield]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #books AND [[Jack Canfield]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[The Success Principles (book)]] <!-- SerializedQuery END -->