SE
I read too much science fiction to mess with anything. I’d be terrified that, by changing something, my kids wouldn’t be mine.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 April 2017 source ↗
The question
If you could revise one chapter of your past, what would you change?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Repeated verbatim in The Guardian's long-running Saturday Q&A; two publisher-hosted examples establish recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 203 →
Emeli Sandé
British singer
I would instil confidence in my younger self.
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London since 2016
I would have had more time with my dad before he passed away.
Beverley Knight
Singer and stage actor
Some of the neuroses of my 20s. I knew I had a great talent, but I thought it was unmarketable because I felt ugly.
Nicholson Baker
Contemporary American novelist and writer
I made too much money in my 30s, and it distorted my writing and made me less hungry. Then, in my 40s, I spent all the money on daily life – and now I don’t have it.
More from Sheena Easton
View profile →That I never found a way to stay in a relationship long term. I always feel trapped.
When I started out, people thought I was going to be a flash in the pan, but I’m still working.
A cafeteria in Glasgow where the manager was horrible. I walked out and got a great job in a betting shop.
When my kids were young enough for me to carry them both, one on each hip. I miss walking in the door and them flinging themselves at me.
I decided I wanted a red convertible Jaguar, because I thought I would look the bee’s knees in it. The first time I drove it with the top down, it scared the shit out of me. After that, I only bought “mom” cars.
More on failure & regret
- What disappointment has stayed with you longest? 367 answers
- Who deserves an apology from you, and for what? 209 answers
- What is the harshest thing anyone has said to you? 122 answers
- When were you most embarrassed? 122 answers
- How has a setback or failure set you up for later success? 69 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 35 answers
Also answered this
George Michael, Joan Jett, Courtney Pine, Michael Kiwanuka, Mandy Patinkin, Kevin Rowland
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All failure & regret questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject