Philippa Dunne: What disappointment has stayed with you longest?

The question

Originally asked

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

This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.

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

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

I started my career not getting jobs, but then you learn that 95% of this job is not getting jobs, and you just have to make peace with it.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 June 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

Gino D'Acampo Italian-British celebrity chef and media personality

That Italy didn’t qualify for the World Cup this year.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 December 2022 source ↗

Ed Harris American actor and director

The distribution of Copying Beethoven in the US.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 August 2007 source ↗

Kwame Kwei-Armah Actor and playwright

When I realised I wasn’t going to make it as a singer-songwriter when I was about 25.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 October 2018 source ↗

Jennifer Egan Novelist, short story writer

That Al Gore was denied the American presidency in 2000.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 November 2011 source ↗