Keith McNally: 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.

Keith McNally

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Craving the kind of success I pretend to despise.

Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2026 source ↗

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Johannes Radebe

My default will always be to go for the worst-case scenario and that is something that I am unlearning.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 March 2026 source ↗

Kelly Hoppen

Fear of flying.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 September 2024 source ↗

David Hasselhoff American actor, singer, and television personality

Holding a grudge.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 April 2009 source ↗

Bruce Dickinson English heavy metal singer

Procrastination.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 July 2024 source ↗

More from Keith McNally

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

Taking an overnight train in Europe.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 20 January 2026 source ↗

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

Using knowledge as a weapon.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2026 source ↗

Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

Cycling around Martha’s Vineyard alone in the summer of 1976.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2026 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

My children dying before me.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, January 2026 source ↗

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