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 David Vélez said elsewhere, not written here
Vicky, qué pregunta más difícil (risas). Voy a hablarle de los casos que nos han inspirado, como Charles Feeney, cofundador de los Duty Free Shop en los aeropuertos. Él hizo eso en los años ochenta. Se volvió uno de los hombres más ricos del mundo cuando vendió su compañía e inmediatamente se dedicó a la filantropía y gastó todo su dinero en metas sociales.

Vicky Dávila, interview, Semana, 1 October 2022 source ↗

Others on this question

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Jim Kerr Scottish singer and songwriter
A friend named Paul Hill [one of the Guildford Four] spent 15 years in prison doing time for crimes he did not commit. We communicate most days. I admire the hell out of him.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 October 2022 source ↗
Lily Tomlin Comedian and actor
My partner, who’s helping me with this Proust Questionnaire.
Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, June 2022 source ↗
Madonna, she is a trailblazer. She changed the face of pop music for women. She did so much for the Aids movement, encouraging people to vote and the voices of LGBTQIA+ people. Fashion icon, music icon – she deserves all the credit.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 January 2024 source ↗

More from David Vélez

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Question What would you like to be remembered for? Death & what remains
Me gustaría que la gente se viera empoderada a construir, a resolver problemas. Que salgamos muchas veces de esa visión de víctimas en la que dependemos de muchas fuerzas. Que veamos problemas como grandes oportunidades para ayudar a resolver. Por ejemplo, frente a esa mala experiencia con los bancos, como me pasó en Brasil, mucha gente se hubiera sentado y quejado del banco. Pero vi una oportunidad gigantesca de ir y competir contra él.
Recorded Vicky Dávila, interview, Semana, 1 October 2022 source ↗
Question What is something everyone in your world agrees about that you think is wrong? Values & belief
I always say the Nubank story was very unlikely. It was a very low probability event. Again. We were going after these very big incumbent banks. Everybody told me, you know, you're Colombian. You have no idea what you're doing in Brazil. They're going to crush you. Like, don't. Just don't do it. And I did it mostly because everybody told me I couldn't do it. And so, if somebody tells me I can't do something, I want to go do it.
Recorded John Waldron, Goldman Sachs Talks, Goldman Sachs (official event transcript) source ↗

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