As a kid, my summers at camp in the Adirondacks. And as an adult, when I’m onstage.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, September 2022 source ↗
The question
When were you happiest?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 585 →
Ralph Ineson
English actor and narrator
I am pretty happy right now. I have just got back from a dog walk. I have loads of nice work coming out. I am feeling pretty chipper.
Lorraine Pascale
British model and cook
When my daughter Ella was born.
Alain de Botton
Writer and philosopher; founder of The School of Life
The summer just after finishing How Proust Can Change Your Life.
Adwoa Aboah
British fashion model
On a walking safari in the middle of the Kenyan bush. I had no phone, no mirror, nothing, and I was really happy because I had no distractions.
More from Bonnie Raitt
View profile →Balancing my inner and outer life.
Being out in a gorgeous natural setting with time to enjoy.
That injustice, ignorance, and fascism win.
Dolores Huerta.
In my sleep in my 90s, after a great gig.
Arrogance and entitlement.
More on time & hindsight
- What is the most important lesson life has taught you? 155 answers
- What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore? 95 answers
- What scares you about getting older? 69 answers
- What is the best advice you have ever received? 38 answers
- What is something you were told by a parent, teacher, or mentor that you still repeat to yourself? 26 answers
- If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere, what would it say and why? 25 answers
Also answered this
Patti Smith, Kim Wilde, Kelis Rogers, David Hasselhoff, Paul Weller, Alexander Armstrong
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