My sister and I grew up in a little village in England. Our father was a struggling lawyer, but I always knew he was special. He never criticized us, but used praise to 1 our best. He’d say, “If you pour water on flowers, they flourish. If you don’t give them water, they die.” I remember 2 a child I said something 3 about somebody, and my father said, “Any time you say something unpleasant 4 somebody, it’s a reflection of you.” He explained that if I looked 5 the best in people, I would get the best in return. From then on I’ve always tried to follow that principle in my life. Dad’s always been very 6 . At 15, I started a magazine. It was taking up a great deal of my time, and the headmaster of my school gave me a 7 : Stay in school or leave to work on my magazine. I decided to leave, and Dad tried to prevent me from my decision, as any good father would. When he realized I had made up my mind, he said, “Richard, when I was 23, my dad persuaded me to go into law. I didn’t like it. I wanted to be a biologist. But I didn’t pursue my dream. And I’ve 8 regretted it. You know what you want. Go fulfill it.” As it 9 , my little publication went on to become Student, a national magazine for young people in the U.K. My wife and I have two children, and I’d like to bring them up in the same way Dad 10 me.