If you could edit 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.

Recorded Simone Biles said elsewhere, not written here
Nothing. Everything has led me to who and where I am now.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 February 2017 source ↗

Others on this question

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Robert Carlyle Scottish actor
I'd have concentrated a bit more at school and maybe gone to university rather than drama school.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 February 2008 source ↗
David Jason English actor
Not getting older at each birthday, but I appreciate it beats the alternative.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 May 2021 source ↗
Omid Djalili British stand-up comedian and actor
I'd edit out all the wrong people I surrounded myself with socially and professionally whom I thought I had to tolerate.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 August 2010 source ↗

More from Simone Biles

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Question When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? Daily life
Yes. Today has been really stressful. We had a workout this morning. It went okay. And then just that five and a half hour wait or something. I was just shaking, could barely nap. I've just never felt like this going into a competition before. And I tried to go out here and have fun. And warm up in the back went a little bit better. But then once I came out here, I was like, "No, mental is not there. So I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself."
Recorded Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗
Question In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? Daily life
I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness. And I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job and I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw ups because they've worked way too hard for that. So I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest of the competition.
Recorded Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗

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