[2021-10-31] The Proust Questionnaire
In August 2011, Vanity Fair published The Proust Questionnaire, which had "its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature."
I've never answered the questionnaire, despite my love of questions. Some of my answers are likely enduring; others are specific to my current context. It would be interesting to repeat the questionnaire in a year or two, without the benefit of reviewing today's responses, to see how many of my answers would change.
The interesting thing about The Proust Questionnaire is that the answers can be so different. They can be short or long, literal or figurative, humorous or serious. Try them on yourself or a loved one. The answers may surprise you.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being alive.
What is your greatest fear?
Leaving my loved ones.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My inability to control my negative emotions (such as anger, resentment) 100% of the time.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Hypocrisy.
Which living person do you most admire?
Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister of New Zealand).
What is your greatest extravagance?
Fresh fruit.
What is your current state of mind?
Cautious optimism.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Ambition.
On what occasion do you lie?
When someone gives me a gift that I don't like.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Shortsightedness. Imperfect teeth. Frizzy hair.
Which living person do you most despise?
A particular U.S. politician.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Genuine interest in what women have to say.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Compassion.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Awesome.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband and my children.
When and where were you happiest?
At dinner with my husband and children.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to perform beautiful music or to draw beautiful images.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Having cancer.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Serving as an assistant deputy minister.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A maple tree.
Where would you most like to live?
Canada.
What is your most treasured possession?
Everything I've written, especially in the last year.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Seeing one's children suffer.
What is your favorite occupation?
Writing.
What is your most marked characteristic?
My willingness to share my story for the benefit of others.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their acceptance, whether I'm happy or sad.
Who are your favorite writers?
Agatha Christie. Maya Angelou. A.A. Milne.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Portia in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Terry Fox.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Nurses. Government communicators. Government senior managers. Medical researchers.
What are your favorite names?
Melanie. Shane.
What is it that you most dislike?
Greed.
What is your greatest regret?
Not doing more to support my brother.
How would you like to die?
Old.
What is your motto?
Be kind.
