"Love and humility"— When Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec opened up about what he learned from his mother

Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec expressed how grateful he is for how his parents worked hard for him, and how their sacrifices paved the way for him to get a lot of opportunities.

At a 92nd Street Y event on May 17, 2016, Robert was joined by fellow Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran, as they sat down to discuss Robert's book You Don't Have to Be a Shark: Creating Your Own Success.

During the interview, after reflecting on his father's sacrifices and the valuable lessons he imparted, Robert shared what he learned from his mother. He emphasized that she taught him love and humility, instilling in him the importance of never seeing himself as superior to others.

"I've learned love and humility," the Shark Tank star said.

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Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec reflects on his past and the humility he learned from his mother

During the 92nd Street Y event interview, Barbara Corcoran highlighted three dominant traits she has observed in Robert Herjavec over the years. She noted that her fellow Shark Tank investor was a good dresser, the hardest-working man she knew, and a "phenomenal entertainer."

However, Barbara pointed out that these were the qualities he got from his dad. She further asked Robert about the things he learned from his mother.

Robert shared that he learned "love and humility" from his mother. He elaborated that when his family was in Yugoslavia, they used to live in poor conditions. However, he didn't realize that they were living a poor lifestyle as most of their neighboring families lived the same way.

Robert thought that his family had a pretty "normal" life in Yugoslavia until they immigrated to Canada and were surrounded by a better lifestyle. He recalled that his classmate used to remind him that he was poor, and used to make fun of him for wearing the same clothes every day.

"When I came [to Canada], I went to school the first day, I didn't speak the language, and I wore the same pants every day because we've never had any money. They were always clean, my mom washed them. And kids would make fun of me and beat me up and stuff. And my mom would always be there with a big hug and she would say, 'I love you,'" he shared.

The Shark Tank investor recalled a day when he came home from school and told his mother that he hated their life in Canada. In response, she taught him a valuable lesson in humility, reminding him that while he should never feel inferior to anyone, he should also never see himself as superior to others.

Barbara sarcastically remarked that she wasn’t entirely convinced Robert had embraced the lesson on humility his mother taught him. She pointed out that she felt a part of him doesn’t exactly practice it, given his love for owning multiple sports cars and what she described as "the biggest house in all of Canada."

Robert explained that while he owns a lot of expensive cars and other things, he is grateful for them. He added that he still gets excited about these things the same as when he was excited when he bought his first car.

"I love to play at things I do. And I am as excited about getting a new car today as I was when I had no money. I'm as excited about my new Rolls Royce or Ferrari as I was about my 1987 Mazda RX7 in gold... I have this incredible joy about things like that. I always think I couldn't afford any of these things and how great is it that we get this opportunity", he concluded.

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes air every Friday on ABC.