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Time & hindsight

What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?

577 answers answered between 1930 and 2026 one of 25 in The Q&A

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.

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On the record

Public figures who have answered a question like this elsewhere. Quoted from the source shown, not written for FLAPSS.

Read by field Everyone Science and medicine 4 Arts and letters 487 Politics and public life 37 Business and finance 19 Sport 30
Read by age Any age Before thirty 25 In their thirties 83 In their forties 113 In their fifties 109 In their sixties 100 Seventy and beyond 77
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Winston Churchill Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1940–1945 and 1951–1955; Member of Parliament 1900–1964
But the years 1895 to 1900 which are the staple of this story exceed in vividness, variety and exertion anything I have known—except of course the opening months of the Great War. When I look back upon them I cannot but return my sincere thanks to the high gods for the gift of existence. All the days were good and each day better than the other. Ups and downs, risks and journeys, but always the sense of motion, and the illusion of hope.
Recorded Chapter of his autobiography, written at Chartwell in 1930, Winston S. Churchill, My Early Life (Thornton Butterworth, 1930), Project Gutenberg Canada, October 1930 source ↗
Doris Day American actress and singer
My childhood summers in Trenton, Ohio, and starting work at Warner Bros.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, April 1995 source ↗
Yoko Ono Japanese artist and activist
When the war was over—whichever war that was.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, December 1995 source ↗
Little Richard
In Macon, Georgia, during my childhood. I knew everybody there—it was like the whole town was your family. I felt complete there.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, November 2001 source ↗
Sue Townsend English writer and humorist
Flying over the Australian outback in a jet, looking down at the incredible orange scenery, the uninhabited hills and gullies, listening to Tchaikovsky on my headphones and drinking champagne with a cigarette in my hand. It was 1984, I'd been to the Adelaide Book Festival and was going back to my husband and my children.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 January 2007 source ↗
Jimmy Savile English media personality and sex offender
During the war - to a teenager, wartime is very exciting. And when there was no traffic, I could ride my bike about the lovely Yorkshire lanes with not a car in sight. And I'm very happy today because I'm not skint.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 26 May 2007 source ↗
Mischa Barton British and American actress
When I got my dogs, Charlie and Ziggy Stardust. One is a pomeranian mix and the other is a rescue mutt, and, oh my God, he's so cute.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 9 June 2007 source ↗
Ed Harris American actor and director
The day our daughter was born, or maybe fishing on the Colorado river with my wife and brother and his buddy Earl.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗
Eli Roth American film director and screenwriter
When I'm on set, filming.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 October 2007 source ↗
Pamela Anderson Canadian-American actress and model
When Peta picked me to be on their first Times Square anti-fur billboard.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 January 2008 source ↗
Boy George British musician
I am relieved to say that I find it hard to answer such a question, because if I could it would suggest that my life has become dreary and empty.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 9 February 2008 source ↗
Julie Andrews English actress, singer and author
In London. When Blake [Edwards, her husband since 1969] made me laugh so much I wept. Blake says I slept with a smile.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, April 2008 source ↗

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