Malala Yousafzai: What do you fear most?

The question

Originally asked

Vanity Fair, to its interview subject, The Proust Questionnaire

The exact prompt is fixed in Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire and independently sustained in The Guardian's The Q&A over multiple decades.

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

Malala Yousafzai

Education campaigner; co-founder of the Malala Fund; United Nations Messenger of Peace

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Losing my family. And fear that the world won't become a better place.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2019 source ↗

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Alison Steadman British actress

That we will drown in plastic waste.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 January 2009 source ↗

James Norton English actor

Rats. We had one swim up our loo recently, it was horrific.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 July 2022 source ↗

Vick Hope British television and radio presenter

When I was growing up, I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger fear to contend with on a day‑to-day basis. It hasn’t proved to be a bother yet, but there’s still time.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 August 2022 source ↗

Ben Stiller

Losing my mind.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2025 source ↗

More from Malala Yousafzai

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

Being grateful for what you have.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 12 July 2019 source ↗

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

I'm trying to be more organized.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 12 July 2019 source ↗

Question Which quality in your friends matters most to you? Relationships

They treat me as a regular person.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 12 July 2019 source ↗

Question What trait do you most dislike in other people? Values & belief

I hate it when my little brothers don't close their mouths when they're eating.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2019 source ↗

Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

Women in leadership positions in every field who are using their advantages to inspire younger women.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2019 source ↗

Question Which trait in yourself do you like least? Identity & self

Biting my nails.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2019 source ↗

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