I am the way I am, and I can’t change that. Why even think about it?
The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 19 February 2013 source ↗
The question
If you could alter one thing about yourself, what would it be?Originally asked
Vanity Fair, to its interview subject, The Proust Questionnaire
Verbatim recurring item in Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire; two publisher-hosted respondent pages establish institutional recurrence.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 53 →
George Saunders
Short-story writer and novelist
I’d like to have a more generous, less anxious mind.
I’d like to increase my brain’s computing speed.
I would laugh more. I don’t laugh enough.
I would just be content with every moment as it is instead of gnashing my teeth trying to change things all the time.
More from Robert De Niro
View profile →Self-importance, arrogance.
My wife going on The Real Housewives of New York City.
In my sleep. And I don’t think about it. It’ll be what it’ll be.
I’m certainly not going to tell it here.
More on identity & self
- What do you fear most? 256 answers
- Which trait in yourself do you like least? 239 answers
- As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself? 197 answers
- What most recently moved you to tears? 192 answers
- What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? 158 answers
- How would you sum yourself up in three words? 114 answers
Also answered this
Stephen Fry, Sally Field, Carrie Fisher, Serena Williams, Jodie Foster, Whoopi Goldberg
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All identity & self questions
- The The Proust Questionnaire questionnaire — 5 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject