Lessons I Learned from My Dad

Father's Day is right around the corner, and we're celebrating with the occasional post on the career and life lessons we've learned from the dads in our lives. We're kicking things off with a post from contributor Marty Nemko, whose father lived one of those up-by-your-bootstraps stories that defined the promise and opportunity of postwar America.

Many people say their parents taught them valuable lessons. Count me among them. Because Father's Day is coming up, I'll focus here on my dad.

My father, Boris Nemko, rarely talked about being a Holocaust survivor and when I asked him why, he said, "Martin, the Nazis took five years from my life. I won't give them one minute more. Martin, never look back. Always take the next step forward."