It’s not often that a person can point to one thing that gave them confidence to follow a dream, and even less common when it’s a professor who wrote to the British children’s TV program Blue Peter.

I did what all sensible children do when in need of practical help with an idea. I wrote to Blue Peter

If there’s a moral here, it’s that you never know what will be the future impact of a word of kindness or dismissal, especially with kids. Aww. I feel all fluffy inside.

Read about Professor Anthony Hollander’s letter to Blue Peter here.