Danielle Steel
Novelist
Not always standing up for myself enough.
Which trait do you most dislike in yourself?
Question
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Identity & self
Question
What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Failure & regret
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Values & belief
Question
How would you describe yourself in three words?
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.
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.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 March 2026 source ↗
Others on this question
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Melissa Etheridge
Singer, songwriter and guitarist
Deplore is a heavy word. I don’t deplore it but I constantly feel the pull of my old Midwestern ways of eating. Boy, can I put some pancakes away.
Obsequiousness.
Scott Mills
English radio DJ and television presenter
Still biting my nails.
More from Fearne Cotton
View profile →An air steward, because I loved airports. I wrote a letter to British Airways when I was seven and I’ve got the reply in the loft, which says, “You’re a bit young at seven but do stay in touch.” I was that kind of kid who was eager to start the ball rolling.
People have said, “I wish you would die.” That’s the stark truth of being in the public eye – people dehumanise you and say ghastly things.
Picking myself back up after very tricky times and trying again.
I assumed that once I reached some level of achievement, I would feel fixed.
Superiority. I shrink when I’m around people who act superior, whether it’s due to authority or intellect. I almost become mute.
Eager to learn.
More on identity & self
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Michael Flatley, Carol Vorderman, John Malkovich, Bear Grylls, Maureen O'Hara, Ed Harris
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