Richard Hawley
English musician
I've often reached the dizzying heights of ecstasy holding a pint of frothy seasonal ale in Fagan's pub, chatting away with Tom the landlord.
When were you happiest?
Question
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Identity & self
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Identity & self
Question
What is your greatest fear?
Identity & self
Question
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Values & belief
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.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
In the mountains, climbing into beautiful places—anything that has to do with nature. I feel best in nature or near nature. And I was most happy, of course, when I was with my husband and we were in beautiful landscapes.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, March 2010 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 577 →Last year, during four days in January, when I directed Rhoda, my second short film, in a tiny house in Camberwell with Juliet Stevenson and Emma D’Arcy.
Vince Cable
British politician
My best times have been around my family.
Lauren Laverne
English radio DJ, and television presenter
There are different flavours of happy, but I think my favourite is the quiet contentment when several generations of family are sitting together watching a crowd-pleaser like Harry Potter on the telly.
More from Luise Rainer
View profile →My inferiority complex.
Mandela. Also, artists and painters. I admire people who are creative.
First of all, to be in love. The second way of being very happy is to be able to get the best out of yourself, whatever it is.
To be abandoned.
To be dishonest. Sometimes people have to be dishonest in order not to hurt, but if someone is basically dishonest, that is a different matter.
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