Time & hindsight

What counsel would you give your twenty-year-old self — and what should they ignore?

78 answers answered between 1930 and 2026

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Nora Ephron Journalist, essayist, screenwriter and film director
My advice to everyone is: “Become a journalist.” ... if you have a chance to be a newspaper reporter for three or four years — before you do whatever you want to do — do it, because you will know so much.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 21 June 2007 source ↗
Richard Ford Novelist and short-story writer
Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a good idea.
Recorded The Guardian Review, 20 February 2010 source ↗
Patti Smith Musician, poet and photographer
Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned about doing good work and protect your work. […] Protect your work and if you build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.
Recorded Christian Lund, Louisiana Literature festival, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 24 August 2012, Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 24 August 2012 source ↗

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