My favorite hobby is being alone. I like to be alone. I also like dancing, fishing, playing poker sometimes an... — Emanuel Steward

My favorite hobby is being alone. I like to be alone. I also like dancing, fishing, playing poker sometimes and vegetable gardening - corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, I have a big garden every year.

Author: Emanuel Steward

Insight: There's something quietly radical about a person who can say they love solitude without making it sound like a rejection of the world. Most of us feel pressure to frame alone time as recharging for social obligations, or as something we're forced into. But Steward lists it as a favorite hobby—something chosen and savored, not endured. It's a reminder that being comfortable in your own company isn't antisocial or lonely. It's actually a skill that frees you up to do the things you genuinely enjoy without needing constant external validation or company. What's striking is how he follows that admission with a list of activities that range from deeply solitary to surprisingly social. Fishing alone, dancing (whether solo or with others), poker with friends, tending a garden. There's no contradiction here. Someone who loves solitude can also enjoy connection—they just don't confuse the two or need one to justify the other. His vegetable garden is especially telling: that's a hobby where you're alone with your work, but you're ultimately growing something to share or nourish yourself with. In our hyperconnected age, we've somehow made solitude feel like a confession. Steward's simple honesty is liberating: you can like being alone and still like plenty of other things. The peace comes from not having to pick one identity and defend it.