I know we all have to die, but when my time comes, I’d rather it not be because a goose flew into the engine of a plane I’m on.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2016 source ↗
The question
What do you fear most?Originally asked
Vanity Fair, to its interview subject, The Proust Questionnaire
The exact prompt is fixed in Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire and independently sustained in The Guardian's The Q&A over multiple decades.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I know we all have to die, but when my time comes, I’d rather it not be because a goose flew into the engine of a plane I’m on.
Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, July 2016 source ↗
A bumpy flight … or driving with my son Sam, who drives great, but I still can’t believe he’s old enough.
I don’t think about my greatest fear.
I become very anxious if I think I’ve hurt someone.
That the Proust Questionnaire will continue to be used by lazy, overworked journalists for another century or so (since you asked …).
Close friends, spectacular food, gorgeous weather, and interesting conversation!
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
It’s a toss-up between mean and petty.
I’m disorganized.
I’d like to die anytime after the age of 90—in my sleep!
Oprah Winfrey. She always does the right thing—even when no one is looking.
Michael Flatley, Olivia de Havilland, John Malkovich, Mike Skinner, Bear Grylls, Maureen O'Hara
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