Trevor Noah shares worst advice he received as a child

Trevor Noah shares worst advice he received as a child

Trevor Noah gets candid about his past.

South African comedian Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah/ Instagram/@trevornoah (via Comedian Wil Sylvince)

Trevor Noah says he was told as a child to "suck it up" to maintain connections with some people in his life. 

In a new interview with The Guardian, the South African comedian shared the worst advice he received as a child. 

"I think the worst advice was that you have to try to fit in. You’d meet somebody you don’t get along with and you’d be told: 'Just tolerate it for now.'It’s only in later life that you realise that a prison comes with not being yourself around the people you wish to build a life with," the 40-year-old said. 

Trevor says he would give children different pearls of wisdom. 

"The advice I would give a kid today would be: 'Be yourself as much as you can.' Some people you’ll lose along the way, but the ones you keep will know the real you," he told The Guardian.

The former 'Daily Show' host shared the interview as part of the promotion for his new children's book, 'Into the Uncut Grass', which is illustrated by Sabina Hahn.

"In the tradition of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse comes a gorgeously illustrated fable about a young child’s journey into the world beyond the shadow of home, a magical landscape where he discovers the secrets of sharing, connection, and finding peace with the people we love," a synopsis of the book reads. 

Trevor says he has always wanted to create a picture book.

"It’s an idea I have always romanticised because the picture books I grew up with, like 'Where the Wild Things Are,' were some of my favourite fables and stories. Children’s picture books don’t allow you to spend 400 pages getting into intricate details. I guess what surprised me was how hard it is to actually do, being so concise while containing feeling and emotion," he told The Guardian. 

During an interview on 'The View', Trevor credited his mother, Patricia Noah, with encouraging his love of reading. 

"I was formed by the books that I read as a child. The one thing my mother always found a way to get me was books. Some she would even get on these programs where you would pay in instalments, like a little layby, and they would send you one book from the series at a time. And she always made sure that I had books in my life, and I am always grateful to her for that," he said. 

Other stars who have written children's books include Serena Williams, Kelly Clarkson, Channing Tatum, and Meghan Markle.

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Main image credit: Instagram/Trevor Noah

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