The tendency to withdraw into myself.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
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What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
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What scares you about getting older?
Time & hindsight
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How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
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What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
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.
Worrying at things.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 July 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 263 →
Guy Pearce
Australian actor
My fear of confrontation.
Bryn Terfel
Welsh bass-baritone singer
Thinking that singing makes me fit.
Impatience and vanity.
More from Ben Okri
View profile →Evolve or perish.
“You don’t stand a chance of succeeding as a writer in this country. The demographics are against you.” They were wrong. The only demographic that counts is the human heart.
Not being there for my daughter.
Alchemy. Love. Resilience.
Composer, pirate, scientist, philosopher.
Looking after the flowerbed on my windowsill.
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