What would you tell your 14-year-old self?

Hindsight is useless, as we know. But what if we could have given ourselves, say at the age of 14, with the benefit of present experience, a little advice, what would it have been? Marie Benoît quizzes a handful of readers. Here they share their ideas

W hen asked this question, David Cameron, former Prime Minister of the UK said: “My advice would be really boring; keep on with science subjects, because understanding of science will be so important in your future life.” Former MP Edwina Currie had this advice to give: “On the whole kid, be confident… Hard work and determination will get you anywhere, especially combined with a total lack of interest in football….Once you escape you will find rugby players much more to your taste. And don’t worry when your mother says: ‘Boys don’t like clever girls. You’ll find a clever boy who does. In fact during a lifetime you’ll find several.”

‘The music you listen to, the books you read, and clothes you wear at that age will probably influence your taste for the rest of your life so have as much fun with them as possible, while you still can,” is the advice of

Vogue’s editor Alexandra Shulman. The comedian and actor Griff Rhys Jones advices himself to become a lawyer. “Lawyers are universally convinced they are doing the only worthwhile job in the world. They are self-satisfied, assured of their own intellectual detachment, morally patrician and wealthy. All qualities indicative of middle-aged happiness. Mind you, quite a few of them are bored. But there will always be a downside. That’s a good maxim to remember.”

Taki, ‘High life’ columnist for the Spectator says: “Read more and play less. If I had paid more attention to my studies rather than trying to impress girls with dumb stunts, I would have written something of value by now. I cannot stress how important the right education is for a 14-yearold. But I wasn’t paying attention, despite the brilliant teachers I had. All I thought of was girls and to be captain of sports so I could impress them. Worse, I continue to do this today and have only arthritis to show for it.”

So what do the locals have to say?