Sebastian Coe
British athlete and politician
Among others, Mikhail Gorbachev for leadership that enabled the peaceful transition from communism in eastern Europe.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore?
Time & hindsight
Question
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Identity & self
Question
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Identity & self
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
The artist Gerhard Richter.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
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Boris Becker
German tennis player, coach, and commentator
My sporting hero, Muhammad Ali.
Jim Kerr
Scottish singer and songwriter
A friend named Paul Hill [one of the Guildford Four] spent 15 years in prison doing time for crimes he did not commit. We communicate most days. I admire the hell out of him.
Tony Ross
British writer of children's books
Sue Townsend, for creating Adrian Mole, her insight into people and for overcoming the problems she's had.
More from Patti Smith
View profile →Tramping through the woods in South Jersey in 1957 with my dog Bambi.
Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned about doing good work and protect your work. […] Protect your work and if you build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.
Recorded
Christian Lund, Louisiana Literature festival, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 24 August 2012, Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 24 August 2012
source ↗
I would love to have a better sense of physical balance.
Clarity when I am writing.
Collapse of the imagination.
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