Which living person do you most admire, and why?

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.

Recorded David Vélez said elsewhere, not written here
Vicky, qué pregunta más difícil (risas). Voy a hablarle de los casos que nos han inspirado, como Charles Feeney, cofundador de los Duty Free Shop en los aeropuertos. Él hizo eso en los años ochenta. Se volvió uno de los hombres más ricos del mundo cuando vendió su compañía e inmediatamente se dedicó a la filantropía y gastó todo su dinero en metas sociales.

Vicky Dávila, interview, Semana, 1 October 2022 source ↗

Others on this question

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Julie Hesmondhalgh – she’s the kindest, brightest, most truthful woman. She’s so talented, works hard, cares about the right things, puts her energy in the right places. I adore her.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 November 2025 source ↗
Pedro Almodóvar Film director
Dr. Pedro Cavadas, a pioneer in face transplants and a specialist in the transplant of severed members. This surgeon from Valencia devotes his summer breaks to travel to Africa and tend to children who have been castrated in tribal conflicts.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2020 source ↗
Rafael Nadal Spanish professional tennis player, 2001–2024
Just normal people from my hometown, from my country.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, October 2010 source ↗

More from David Vélez

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Question When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? Daily life
Now I try to protect one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon where I turn off Slack, and I don't check email. I might read, or write in a journal, or just go for a walk. It's become one of the most important parts of my day. It's when I'm most creative, and when I hit on ideas that can take the company in new directions.
Recorded questionnaire, Sequoia Capital, 15 August 2018 source ↗
Question What inspires you to learn? Attention & the world
I wish I knew more about Clojure, which is the programming language we use most at Nubank. If I did, I could better understand some of the more complex problems we're trying to solve, and I think I could ask better questions when we're setting priorities. I'd like to be able to communicate at that level with the technical side of our team, and I think they would appreciate it, too.
Recorded questionnaire, Sequoia Capital, 15 August 2018 source ↗

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