John Grisham: What accomplishment matters most to you?

The question

What accomplishment matters most to you?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

Verbatim recurring item in The Guardian Q&A; two fully readable publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

John Grisham

American writer and lawyer

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Being able to write books that entertain people around the world.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 December 2015 source ↗

Others on this question

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Rupert Graves English actor

Remembering to do things in order, because I have to transcend my nature, which is haphazard.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 January 2015 source ↗

Nish Kumar British stand-up comedian and presenter

I learned how to play The Wind Cries Mary guitar solo.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 February 2019 source ↗

Ralf Little English actor, writer, former semi-professional footballer

Having a 23-year acting career with no qualifications.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 February 2020 source ↗

Ruth Jones Welsh actress, producer, and writer

I ran 10k once. I’ve got a medal.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 November 2018 source ↗

More from John Grisham

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Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

This morning. I had a typical day: got up early, took the dog for a walk, went to the gym for an hour, then wrote for four hours. That makes me a very happy person.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 December 2015 source ↗

Question Which teacher, parent, coach, or friend most made you who you are, and what did you learn from them? Relationships

I had the benefit of some very good high school English teachers. One in particular when I was a senior in high school. I was a jock, okay. I was not a student. Although I enjoyed reading, that was about it as far as academics. But she forced us to read good books and good writers, particularly good American writers. We weren’t too thrilled to do it initially, but she taught us how to do it. Through that, I discovered some of my favorite authors, particularly John Steinbeck. Once I had gone through all of Steinbeck’s books, I realized that I had had a wonderful experience.

Recorded Academy of Achievement interview source ↗