the natural tendency to solidify a narrative that makes you look good
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.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 October 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 252 →Modesty and humility.
I’m rabidly indiscreet. If you tell me an embarrassing story, it will probably end up in one of my scripts or standup routines.
My trust in other people. I am rigorously honest.
More from Marina Abramović
View profile →Last year when I had a pulmonary embolism – it was a very scary time.
His holiness the Dalai Lama and his ability to forgive.
Spend your time on something meaningful. Not on parties, and not on taking it easy. That’s not good enough. […] When you’re young, you think: Let’s party, do drugs, drink, waste it all, right? But as you get older, you look at what you’ve accomplished. And when you get old, you’ve run out of time. You have to ask yourself: Why am I here? Can I contribute anything to humanity, to society, my work?
That performance art has become a part of mainstream art.
Eternal happiness.
Pretending I’m happy when I’m not.
More on identity & self
Also answered this
Betty White, Monica Dolan, Bruce Dickinson, Bob Mackie, Charlie Higson, Naga Munchetty
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All identity & self questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject