Robin Lord Taylor

You move to New York. You want to be the biggest, most fully realized version of yourself you can be. A lot of that is fueled by this desire to not feel small, and to make a name for myself and establish myself in a way that wasn't expected of me.

I grew up in a very 'Friday Night Lights,' sports-focused town. I did not play the sports. I was never bullied physically, but I was called names. I was also an overweight kid. I knew what it's like to feel like the other, to feel written off for things that were not in my control - my appearance, my interests.

An independent state does not pay too dear a price for its independence in accepting the sufferings of war when it cannot avoid them; a state which has lost its independence may find at least some compensation in the fact that its protector procures for it peace with its neighbours.

I want to tell mayors, county chiefs and heads of big companies: don't just chase GDP growth; don't chase the biggest profits at the expense of our children and grandchildren and at the cost of sacrificing our ecological environment.