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The question

How would you want people to remember you?

Originally asked

Vogue, to one guest at a time, on camera, 73 Questions

A recurring legacy prompt in Vogue's 73 Questions, appearing with only minor wording changes.

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

George H. W. Bush

41st President of the United States, 1989–1993

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
It’s family, and it’s faith, and it’s friends, and it’s not the glamour of the Presidency, or the wonder of going to receive the Nobel Prize. All those are important, of course. But maybe it’s just that I’m 71 years old now. It’s family, and it’s faith, and it’s friends.

Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗

Others on this question

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David Vélez Co-founder and chief executive of Nubank
Me gustaría que la gente se viera empoderada a construir, a resolver problemas. Que salgamos muchas veces de esa visión de víctimas en la que dependemos de muchas fuerzas. Que veamos problemas como grandes oportunidades para ayudar a resolver. Por ejemplo, frente a esa mala experiencia con los bancos, como me pasó en Brasil, mucha gente se hubiera sentado y quejado del banco. Pero vi una oportunidad gigantesca de ir y competir contra él.
Recorded Vicky Dávila, interview, Semana, 1 October 2022 source ↗
James Dyson British inventor and businessman
Changing the way young engineers are educated through the Dyson Institute, and fostering creativity and innovation through our foundation.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 December 2021 source ↗

More from George H. W. Bush

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Question Which book reshaped how you think, and in what way? Taste & recommendation
One of the historians here in Williamsburg talked about War and Peace. I had to read that in school. It was an inspiring, lengthy treatise. I read it twice. It taught me a lot about life. There was a marvelous book by Salinger called Catcher in the Rye. There was a book about discrimination called Gentleman's Agreement. These books I think helped shape my life. But to be honest with you, not one book stands out as the defining book for me.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗
Question What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? Failure & regret
If you really want to make a difference, whether it’s in helping other people, or whether it’s in fighting for your country, or whether it’s in the political arena, or journalism, or physics, you’ve got to persevere. You’ve got to understand that there are going to be some enormous bumps in the road.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗
Question What disappointment has stayed with you longest? Failure & regret
When I lost a race for the United States Senate, I thought the world was going to end for me politically, and 18 years later I was elected President of the United States. The biggest disappointment was that I wasn't able to communicate properly to the American people — with the proper conviction and the proper ability — where the country really stood. The pessimists, the naysayers, the change-wanters overwhelmed me, and I wasn't good enough. I wasn't articulate enough to have the country understand that we weren't in a recession, that we were in a rather booming economy in the last half of my presidency. That was a personal shortcoming, a failure on my path.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗
Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief
Abraham Lincoln truly inspired me. It wasn't just the freeing of the slaves, he kept the Union together. Some people even forget that today. What I think inspired me was the fact that in spite of being the president of the United States he retained a certain down-to-earth quality. He never got to be a big shot, and he cared about people.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗
Question What counsel has proved most valuable to you? Time & hindsight
If I were to give advice to young people, high-achieving young people for example, I'd have to say, don't neglect your family. Politics is important, sitting at the head table is glamorous. Traveling around the world, trying to do something for world peace was wonderful. But family and friends and faith are what really matter in life. And I know that. I see it so clearly now. And so, as they climb the ladder of achievement, I'd simply say, remember what Barbara Bush told those girls at Wellesley: "What happens in your house is more important than what happens in the White House." And it's true. It's so 100 percent true.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗

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