Arnold Schwarzenegger Fears America Is Raising 'a Generation of Wimps': 'Let's Teach Kids to Be Tough'
Arnold Schwarzenegger believes you have to endure the darkness to get to the light.
The actor swung by The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, October 5, to dish about his upcoming book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, and he didn't hold back when discussing how people nowadays are always trying to look for "shortcuts" instead of putting in the work.
"The human mind can only really grow through resistance. You can only strengthen your character, become a really strong person inside, if you have resistance, if you fail, if you get up again and if you work hard and you work your a-- off," the father-of-five, 76, explained.
"The more you struggle, the further you're going to go and the stronger you're going to get. That's just the way the world works," the Terminator lead continued. "Anyone who tries to baby themselves and pamper themselves, and try to protect themselves... it's over. You're never gonna get there. That's just the way it is."
Schwarzenegger acknowledged that may not come easily for some people, but noted, "If you're not able to, work on that."
"You have to be able to accept pain, misery and discomfort, all the things that you don't like," he said. "Because the more you experience the things you really don't like, the more you can grow and the tougher you get and the more you can handle. It's that simple."
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The movie star went on to relate his outlook to raising children, claiming, "So many young kids these days shy away from that, but you have to be attracted to that."
He added that hardworking individuals are the ones that "built this country. Is it people that slept in? No, this was ballsy women and men that went out at 5 a.m. and worked their butts off. That's what made this country great! Let's continue this way."
Schwarzenegger also put a bit of blame on parents.
"Don't start creating a generation of wimps and weak people," the macho man insisted. "Let's not over-baby people. Let's go and teach kids to be tough, to go out and do sports, to study and struggle and go through these kind of painful moments sometimes."
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As OK! shared, Schwarzenegger used tough love when raising his own kids and recently shared a story of how he reacted when son Patrick, now 30, refused to make his bed when he was younger.
"I opened up the door to the balcony, picked up the mattress and threw it down with the bedsheets, the pillows, everything," he revealed. "I said, 'Don't ever make someone come in and clean your room, clean your shower or make your bed. Because I taught you how to make the bed.'"