Colm Tóibín
Novelist, essayist and critic
No alcohol, sex or drugs while you are working. […] No going to London. […] No going anywhere else either.
In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to?
Question
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Daily life
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Take no notice of anyone you don’t respect. […] Take no notice of anyone with a gender agenda. A lot of men still think that women lack imagination of the fiery kind.
The Guardian Review, 20 February 2010 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 25 →
Joyce Carol Oates
Novelist, short story writer and essayist
I’ve turned down opportunities constantly. I turn down invitations to do things for money. I have almost no interest in making money.
Richard Feynman
Theoretical physicist; Nobel laureate in Physics, 1965
the colonel said I shouldn't tell them how the neutrons work and all the details because we want to keep things separate, so just tell them what to do to keep it safe.
Naomi Osaka
Japanese professional tennis player
I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health. I stand by that. Athletes are humans.
More from Jeanette Winterson
View profile →Never stop when you are stuck. You may not be able to solve the problem, but turn aside and write something else. Do not stop altogether.
Happiness is planting the vegetables, sleeping with my girlfriend, running, doing my work, sitting by the fire with a book and a glass of wine... I need a reason to be unhappy, but do not need one to be quietly cheerful.
More on daily life
- What single thing would improve the quality of your life? 216 answers
- What keeps you awake at night? 211 answers
- What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? 44 answers
- When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? 33 answers
- What does the first sixty minutes of your day look like? 29 answers
- In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 23 answers
Also answered this
Richard Ford, Roddy Doyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Colm Tóibín, Alan Cumming, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All daily life questions
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject