“Most admiring” an individual may depend upon knowing her—or him—only at a distance. Public personalities may be the easiest to admire, for obvious reasons. Michelle Obama has seemed to me enormously admirable, like President Obama. And—of course!—Oprah, a great American original. Among people whom I know personally, & have known for some time, Gloria Vanderbilt is most admirable. There are too many things to say about Gloria to fit this space—& indeed I have said a good deal about Gloria in the past—but she is one of the most remarkable persons of my acquaintance. Equally admirable, among my friends who are “known” to the public, whom nonetheless I know as individuals, is Steve Martin, remarkable also for the diversity of his talent(s). But what is most impressive about Steve is that, greatly gifted as he is in comedy, his comic vision is essentially unifying—radiantly goofy, never injurious to anyone. It has become a rare comedy that doesn’t trade upon marginalizing & insulting others & it is really quite remarkable how through his long career Steve has never insulted, hurt, or objectified anyone else for the sake of laughter.

Any mother with young children who is also doing a full-time job.

The Obamas are impressive.

Anybody who invests the lion’s share of their time in helping others.

I can’t deal with any level of stress.

Hey Ya, by OutKast.

Confident, stressed, greedy.

I’ve done some acting jobs where everybody’s gone out of their way to make sure that you feel annoying and easily replaceable.

A sense of optimism.

Those abduction situations where you’re packed in a bunker for 30 years.