JM
Probably when our children were small, which is not to say I am unhappy now.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗
The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?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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Others on this question
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Hayley Mills
English actress
Now. This is the best time of my life.
Marc Almond
English singer
In my first bedsit when I went to art college in Leeds. It was a hideous basement, but I loved the freedom.
Probably as a small child in a pool in my mother’s arms.
Ann Patchett
American author
Before email was invented.
More from John Malkovich
View profile →I don’t think so! You can’t really know that until the moment of your death, at which point you will probably not be afraid because you won’t be there. I have a very old friend who called me last year to say, “Okay I am done. I am not fighting this anymore. I am checking out. I am calling to say goodbye because I am not really conscious most of the time. I am cutting off the pain killers.” He seemed okay. That was not the moment of his death, but it was within two or three days.
When I was an idiot high school student, as opposed to being an idiot adult, I used to drive very fast.
That they’re kind, trustworthy, smart, and can hear and communicate and aren’t afraid to do so.
Watching seeds grow in the greenhouse. Drawing or reading or cooking.
I admire the mother of my children a great deal, because she’s interesting, smart and funny.
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