I say envious of people who are erudite. Like if someone knows Latin very well, I’m envious. If someone knows Sanskrit, I’m envious. And I discovered that early on. So I made money on Wall Street because I wanted to make money on Wall Street, but I didn’t think it was worth the effort.
Whose work makes you jealous?
Question
What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
Craft & work
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What is your favourite side project?
Craft & work
Question
What is the book you have given most as a gift, and why?
Taste & recommendation
Question
What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?
Daily life
Question
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Identity & self
Question
What inspires you to learn?
Attention & the world
I was jealous as hell.
Matthew Reisz, Books interview, The Guardian, 7 August 2022 source ↗
Others on this question
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Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Author and probability researcher; Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering at NYU
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister of New Zealand, 2017–2023; Leader of the Labour Party 2017–2023
Recently I had the privilege of joining ex German Chancellor, Angela Merkel on a panel. I have long been in awe of her leadership, not least for her endurance. She was in power for 16 years. I once asked her how she managed it, her response was "things have changed a lot."
Recorded
Tercentenary Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard Magazine, 26 May 2022
source ↗
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Developmental biologist; Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1995
I felt at the time that Eric was much more successful than I, he was extremely productive during his time in Zurich, and worked on many very original projects, germ line, cell lineage, sex determination, where not many people could follow him. I also had the impression that I was dependent on him because he had more fly experience and without him I would not have gotten the job. This made our start in Heidelberg a little difficult, until we sorted things out, and from then on we thoroughly enjoyed working in the same lab.
Recorded
Laureate-written autobiography for Les Prix Nobel, Nobel Prize Outreach, 1 December 1995
source ↗
Dax Shepard
Actor and film-maker; host of the Armchair Expert podcast
I would always be tempted to take a movie I liked less if the payday was twice as much, and I’ve interviewed a couple people that grew up with wealth and I’ve watched them navigate their career and I’ve been envious of it. Nick Kroll comes to mind. He has so much creative integrity. He just does what fascinates him.
More from David Hare
View profile →Never take advice from anyone with no investment in the outcome.
I love making jam. Plum is best.
The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene.
I get to airports ridiculously early. It’s an uncontrollable urge.
I took Nicole out to dinner for the first time on 19 October, 1991. After that, everything changed.
they did what good teachers are meant to do, which is inspire you to love literature.
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