Seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger has made sure to leave a lasting legacy. After achieving everything that the sport of bodybuilding had to offer, Schwarzenegger’s switch to Hollywood was a smooth one. However, despite achieving success in his professional ventures, his personal relationships were not the best ones. Apart from a failed marriage, another love-hate relationship he had was with his father.

Talking about his bond with his father, Schwarzenegger, who has a whopping net worth of $450 million, gave insights into how his childhood was growing up. Let’s check out what Arnold said about this in an exclusive interview with People.com.

Arnold Schwarzenegger opens up about his bond with his father

Growing up in a small village in Austria, Schwarzenegger’s father was a police chief. He also fought for the Nazis during World War 2. Unfortunately, the violence that he witnessed during that time led him to an alcohol addiction. “When he was drunk, he was not forthcoming with his emotions. He was angry. And when he was not—two, three days later, he would maybe feel guilty and buy us ice cream and take us out, hugging, kissing, and all that stuff,” Schwarzenegger states.

Arnold, however, clarifies that his father was loving towards the kids, too. It was just that he believed in working hard and taught the kids to “Be Useful.” The published article also included an excerpt from his new motivational book, ‘Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, in which Schwarzenegger writes, “There were no free passes in Gustav Schwarzenegger’s house. No free meals either. I had to do two hundred knee bends every morning just to “earn” my breakfast. Nothing works up an appetite like bobbing up and down like a pogo stick on an empty stomach.”

Despite his not-so-ideal relationship with his father, Schwarzenegger admits that the two-word advice his father gave him is what proved to be beneficial for him.

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Schwarzenegger talks about the wise talk he once had with his father

Among the various ventures that Schwarzenegger has, he also has a newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club, for his fans. In an edition of his daily newsletter from back in 2022 titled “My Unreasonable Birthday Goals”, Arnold Schwarzenegger shared some anecdotes about his life. Amidst several other things, he discussed the life lessons that he learned from his father.

“My dad always said ‘Be useful, Arnold.’ When I was young, I listened, but it didn’t mean as much as it means now. 75 years of life has taught me that it means everything.” Explaining further, Schwarzenegger pointed out that this does not necessarily mean that you have to do philanthropic work only. Working and improving yourself also counts. “You can be useful at a job, but you can also be useful as a father, as a friend, as a mentor,” he continued.

Be it good or bad, the way Arnold’s father raised him surely made him the person he is today. What are your views on the life lessons that Gustav Schwarzenegger gave to his son? Let us know in the comments.

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