Brandi Carlile: What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

Verbatim recurring item in The Guardian Q&A; two fully readable publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Brandi Carlile said elsewhere, not written here

Sacrifice the self and you will gain it. Serve the self and you will lose it.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 November 2025 source ↗

Others on this question

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Ed Harris American actor and director

Don't let MGM distribute a film you care about.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗

Rory Stewart

That I am not wise.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 January 2026 source ↗

Ram Dass Spiritual teacher and author

Well, I—I've experienced that the stroke was grace. It was grace, for me, to play, to get inside, grace. I was dependent. These are things that I—those, those were graceful things. You know, pushed. And just go inside, to be—you're a quote "author" and it's a cultural thing, that role, to get into your head. But it's a head game. It's a head game. And I wanted to get down to my spiritual identity. And the stroke placed me at the spiritual identity.

Recorded Ross Simonini, The Believer, issue 115, by Skype from Hawaii, 20 November 2017 source ↗

Pauline McLynn Irish character actress and author