Douglas Booth: What lesson has mattered most in your life? — FLAPSS

The question

What lesson has mattered most in your life?

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.

DB

Douglas Booth

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

One’s created sense of self is not who you are. The present moment is all we have.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 138 →

You can only do one thing at a time.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 September 2025 source ↗

Do the secret thing you know you were born to do.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 June 2025 source ↗

Frank Cottrell-Boyce British screenwriter, novelist and actor

That it’s impossible to persuade other people of the value of the lessons that life has taught you.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 July 2023 source ↗

If it scares you, do it.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 April 2025 source ↗

More from Douglas Booth

View profile →

Question What do you believe happens when we die? Death & what remains

We go back from whence we came.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

When people are rude to their waiter.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

My friend Josie Naughton, the co‑founder and CEO of the charity Choose Love, which supports refugees and displaced people. She left her job working for Coldplay to dedicate her life to this cause.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Question Which trait in yourself do you like least? Identity & self

Whenever I walk past an ice-cream shop, I just can’t not buy an ice-cream.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Question If you could revise one chapter of your past, what would you change? Failure & regret

I’d give my younger self the lessons I’ve learned over the years, sparing myself the need to figure everything out so publicly.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

Question How would you describe what love feels like to you? Relationships

I’ve learned that true love shouldn’t be complicated. It’s the safety and freedom to be seen and celebrated for who you truly are.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

More on time & hindsight

Also answered this

Barack Obama, Chris Bonington, Jack Dee, Maya Jama, Adam Lambert, PP Arnold

Search the directory for somebody in particular.

Explore further

All time & hindsight questions
The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject

Report this answer