Ed Koch: Which trait in yourself do you like least?

The question

Which trait in yourself do you like least?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's The Q&A has retained this Proust-derived prompt from at least 2007 through 2026, and ABC independently put it to the Obamas in 2011.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Ed Koch

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

A willingness to go with my gut feeling, rather than wait a day and contemplate other options.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2013 source ↗

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Johnny Flynn British actor and musician

Control freakery in the kitchen.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 16 April 2022 source ↗

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Basketball player and author

Laziness. After 30 years of being a disciplined athlete with an intensely tight schedule, I still can’t forgive myself for letting things slide.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, August 2020 source ↗

Sally Field Actor

Overall I’d have to say my earnestness.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, March 2016 source ↗

Richard Schiff

My lack of foreign language skills.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 April 2026 source ↗

More from Ed Koch

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Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Sitting in a living room with my sister, Pat Thaler, and her seven grandchildren and just talking with them. They range in age from 9 to 21 years old.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 1 February 2013 source ↗

Question If you could alter one thing about yourself, what would it be? Identity & self

I would like to be more accepting of the faults of others.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 22 January 2013 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

Of choking on some food and having no one nearby to do the Heimlich maneuver.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, February 2013 source ↗

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