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 Hilary Swank said elsewhere, not written here
My mum, because I have seen how she has struggled and how she wants to continue to grow.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 March 2011 source ↗

Others on this question

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My husband, Lincoln, for getting sober with me. He turned his own life around to turn mine around. We didn’t do AA, we anchored each other.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 December 2023 source ↗
David Guetta French DJ
People worship music artists or actors but I have a lot of admiration for doctors, people who save lives.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 16 December 2017 source ↗
John Malkovich American actor
I admire the mother of my children a great deal, because she’s interesting, smart and funny.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗
My friend Josie Naughton, the co‑founder and CEO of the charity Choose Love, which supports refugees and displaced people. She left her job working for Coldplay to dedicate her life to this cause.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 February 2025 source ↗

More from Hilary Swank

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Question What is the biggest obstacle you have faced professionally? Craft & work
I realized that the biggest obstacle was my mind. It was the biggest obstacle, and if I could get out of the way of myself, I would grow. So every time I had that attitude, I changed it, and I’d say, “You can. Today you can, and take it one day at a time, and today, I’m going to get up and I’m not going to think about the other six days of this week. I’m going to get up right now, and I’m going to go to the gym, and I’m going to learn about my boxing, and I’m going to be in the moment.” You know, in anything, you hit a wall, and then you have to break through it, and I just had to get out of my own way.
Recorded Academy of Achievement, Academy of Achievement interview, Los Angeles, California, 1 April 2006 source ↗

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