Ursula Burns, who started as an intern at Xerox Corp., eventually rose through the ranks to become the first African-American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

During a talk at Catalyst's annual awards conference on Tuesday, the 54-year-old CEO recounted how her mother, who raised Burns in New York City public housing, loved to give out advice. One of her mom's favorite sayings, "Where you are is not who you are. Remember that when you're rich and famous," sticks with her to this day.

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