Modesty and humility.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Question
When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
Change of mind
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst job you have done?
Craft & work
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
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’m very impatient – next question.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 June 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 252 →Impatience. I’m not very good at waiting around or dealing with things that aren’t moving at a pace that I want them to.
Self-righteousness and a phobia of embarrassment.
My interest in Los Angeles.
More from Paula Wilcox
View profile →I’m trying to write my will and I keep changing my mind.
Impatient, funny, worrier.
I don’t think I’ve ever done a job that I hate. I worked as a temp briefly when I was out of work and it was fun.
Anything, because I’m a worrier. Also, if I’m working on a really exciting project, I can be awake like an excited child looking forward to going on holiday.
A driver or a helicopter.
I cry a lot at films; my mother and I were champion criers at Meet Me in St Louis.
More on identity & self
Also answered this
Keith Richards, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, Shobna Gulati, Daryl McCormack, Nick Frost, Whoopi Goldberg
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