If you could edit your past, what would you change?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

Repeated verbatim in The Guardian's long-running Saturday Q&A; two publisher-hosted examples establish recurrence.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Simone Biles said elsewhere, not written here
Nothing. Everything has led me to who and where I am now.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 February 2017 source ↗

Others on this question

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Adam Lambert American singer
I would try to work on being able to trust people more easily.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 February 2023 source ↗

Nicholson Baker Contemporary American novelist and writer
I made too much money in my 30s, and it distorted my writing and made me less hungry. Then, in my 40s, I spent all the money on daily life – and now I don’t have it.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 August 2020 source ↗

Francesca Martinez British comedian
My all-girls’ high school. I hated it. Large groups of teenage girls aren’t known for their empathy and kindness. It was a shock to realise that people viewed me as uncool because of the way my body worked.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 March 2020 source ↗

Warren Buffett Chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, 1970–2025
In particular, my decision to sell McDonald's was a very big mistake. Overall, you would have been better off last year if I had regularly snuck off to the movies during market hours.

Recorded His letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders in the 1998 annual report, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., February 1999 source ↗

More from Simone Biles

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Question When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? Daily life
Yes. Today has been really stressful. We had a workout this morning. It went okay. And then just that five and a half hour wait or something. I was just shaking, could barely nap. I've just never felt like this going into a competition before. And I tried to go out here and have fun. And warm up in the back went a little bit better. But then once I came out here, I was like, "No, mental is not there. So I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself."

Recorded Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗

Question In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? Daily life
I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat, work on my mindfulness. And I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job and I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw ups because they've worked way too hard for that. So I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest of the competition.

Recorded Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗

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