When Proust Met Craig

French author Marcel Proust is famous for his gentle remembrance of things past, his eponymous character-revealing questionnaire… and his love of madeleine cookies.

Craig Kielburger is a Canadian author, columnist, social entrepreneur, and activist for the rights of children.

1 What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Seeing the world through the eyes of a child, with the same sense of wonder and equality.

2 What is your greatest fear?
Living in a world of passive bystanders.

3 What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Focusing on the future — I sometimes forget to enjoy the present.

4 What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Well, if I have to choose something… apathy… I guess.

5 Which living person do you most admire?
Muhammad Yunus.

6 What is your greatest extravagance?
Time. And related to that, my collection of customs e-passes: Nexus, Global Entry, UK Fastpass, etc.

7 What is your current state of mind?
Terri-cited. My wife and I are expecting our rst child so I’m half-terri ed and half-excited.

8 What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Patience. If we only wait for things to happen they never do.

9 On what occasion do you lie?
See Question 3 — I’ve already moved on to Question 10.

10 What is the quality you most like in a person?
Shameless idealism.

11 When and where were you happiest?
Opening a new school is always incredible, but I particularly remember one in Kenya. The kids were so excited when we nished, and we didn’t have the heart to tell them there was no school on Sundays. So we started to teach the rst class.

12 Which talent would you most like to have?
Teleportation.

13 Who are your favourite writers?
In no particular order: Thomas King, Viktor Frankl, Margaret Atwood, Joseph Boyden.

14 Who is your hero?
My parents, who came from very humble beginnings and taught me a sense of social justice.

15 What is your motto?
I was honoured to volunteer alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and she said to me: “We do no great things, only small acts of great love.”