Vogue [1] knew what it was doing when it tapped Harry Styles to be the first man to have a solo cover in the magazine's 127-year history. With his motto of "treat people with kindness," [2] lust for life, and dedicated fan base, Harry is the perfect embodiment of a cover star. For Vogue's December issue, the 26-year-old singer discussed [3] the effect 2020 has had on him, his solo career, and the fondness he has for his time in One Direction [4]. While you'll likely find yourself swept up in his thoughtful answers, the issue also takes a moment for both Olivia Wilde [5] and Alessandro Michele to gush about Harry. Plus, Harry has probably never looked better [6] than he does here — granted, he looks good in almost anything [7]. So go on, imagine him as your own personal Byronic hero while reading some of his best quotes ahead.

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• On his personal growth in 2020: "I think it's a time for opening up and learning and listening. I've been trying to read and educate myself, so that in 20 years, I'm still doing the right things and taking the right steps. I believe in karma, and I think it's just a time right now where we could use a little more kindness and empathy and patience with people, be a little more prepared to listen and grow."
• On how meditation has helped him through 2020: "It has changed my life, but it's so subtle. It's helped me just be more present. I feel like I'm able to enjoy the things that are happening right in front of me, even if it's food or it's coffee or it's being with a friend — or a swim in a really cold pond! . . . Meditation just brings a stillness that has been really beneficial, I think, for my mental health."

• On his career as a solo artist: "I was very much finding out what my sound was as a solo artist. I can see all the places where it almost felt like I was bowling with the bumpers up. I think with the second album I let go of the fear of getting it wrong and . . . it was really joyous and really free. I think with music it's so important to evolve — and that extends to clothes and videos and all that stuff. That's why you look back at David Bowie with Ziggy Stardust or the Beatles and their different eras — that fearlessness is super inspiring."
• On being in One Direction: "I think the typical thing is to come out of a band like that and almost feel like you have to apologise for being in it, but I loved my time in it. It was all new to me, and I was trying to learn as much as I could. I wanted to soak it in . . . I think that's probably why I like travelling now — soaking stuff up."

• On living with his friends: "[Moving in with friends] has been a really good lesson in what makes me happy now. It's such a good example of living in the moment. I honestly just like being around my friends. That's been my biggest takeaway. Just being on my own the whole time [during the pandemic], I would have been miserable."
• Olivia Wilde [9] on Harry's confidence: "It's pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence."
• Gucci's Alessandro Michele on considering Harry a revolutionary: "He's really in touch with his feminine side because it's something natural. And he's a big inspiration to a younger generation — about how you can be in a totally free playground when you feel comfortable. I think that he's a revolutionary."