Sir Paul Smith is a leading British fashion designer.
"My biggest regret is my lack of education. I left school at 15 with no qualifications."
Dyslexia has had a big effect on my life. Up to a few years ago I'd never managed to finish a book. But then I really got into Jung Chang's Wild Swans. I called it a five-country book because that was how much travelling I clocked up while getting through it. Now I'm ploughing through her biography of Mao.
My biggest regret is my lack of education. I left school at 15 with no qualifications. Not even the 11-plus. This conversation is bringing home to me what an absolute thicko I am. I tend to feel inadequate if I'm at a dinner party and the subjects start getting heavy. Then it's on with the court jester's jacket, I'm afraid.
The secret of my success isn't hard to fathom. I'm an OK designer and I'm an OK businessman.A lot of people in this profession forget the second half of the equation.They think VAT stands for vodka and tonic."
I hope that Sir Paul has stopped thinking of himself as "an absolute thicko". He was failed by his teachers, who did not address his learning needs.
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