Taking myself seriously, even in a Vanity Fair quiz.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
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.
I very often set my heart on things – and if they don’t happen, I’m not great at dealing with disappointment.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 April 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
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Carl Barât
English musician
Fear and all of its consequences.
Bruce Dickinson
English heavy metal singer
Procrastination.
The rare moment I don’t believe in myself enough.
More from Caroline Lucas
View profile →Passionate, mum, green.
Picnicking on the Downs with my family and dog – birds singing, sea sparkling, and mobile switched very firmly off.
Not to have been joined by more Green MPs … yet.
Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand prime minister – for embodying a different, more compassionate politics.
A holiday job as a chambermaid at the Scratchwood Travelodge on the M1. The state some people leave their rooms in was a revelation.
Following the Zen proverb: you should sit and meditate for 20 minutes; if you’re too busy, then you should sit and meditate for an hour.
More on identity & self
Also answered this
Jon Snow, Barack Obama, Bob Schieffer, Keir Starmer, Bill Clinton, Malala Yousafzai
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- All identity & self questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject