The Proust Questionnaire has 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. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.
Vanity Fair Magazine
Some of you may be familiar with the Proust Questionnaire that Vanity Fair magazine publishes on the last page of every issue. Vanity Fair has interviewed everyone from Nancy Pelosi to Mikhail Baryshnikov to David Bowie and as a holiday treat we decided to ask the Rethinking Education & ILA Team to answer some of the character-revealing questions. Below you will find the complete list of questions (tip: they make perfect dinner conversation for those holiday meals with relatives!) and our team’s answers. 🎇
Proust Questionnaire
Source: Vanity Fair
__1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness?
__2.__What is your greatest fear?
__3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
__4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others?
__5.__Which living person do you most admire?
__6.__What is your greatest extravagance?
__7.__What is your current state of mind?
__8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
__9.__On what occasion do you lie?
__10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance?
__11.__Which living person do you most despise?
__12.__What is the quality you most like in a man?
__13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman?
__14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
__15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life?
__16.__When and where were you happiest?
__17.__Which talent would you most like to have?
__18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
__19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement?
__20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
__21.__Where would you most like to live?
__22.__What is your most treasured possession?
__23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
__24.__What is your favourite occupation?
__25.__What is your most marked characteristic?
__26.__What do you most value in your friends?
__27.__Who are your favourite writers?
__28.__Who is your hero of fiction?
__29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with?
__30.__Who are your heroes in real life?
__31.__What are your favourite names?
__32.__What is it that you most dislike?
__33.__What is your greatest regret?
__34.__How would you like to die?
__35.__What is your motto?
El de Libero, Communications Lead, ILA
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Speaking without a filter.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could play the piano and/or sing well. Sadly, neither is within my wheelhouse.
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
IKEA on a weekend afternoon. It’s all just too much.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Recently I read and loved A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel by Amor Towles, and now I’d say Count Alexander Rostov is a close second.
35. What is your motto?
Never stop learning. Never stop reading. Always remember that everyone is going through something. (Not necessarily in that order).
Liz Free, Director, ILA
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Christmas in its full glittery glory; great food , fabulous drinks with family and friends close – perfection!
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
To tap dance – I could then start every ILA session with a short number which would set an energised tone for the day!
24. What is your favourite occupation?
Teaching – hands down! The ability to develop individuals and broaden their realisation of their own potential is a gift for both the teacher and the student.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
Dolly Parton! Apart from her iconic music, her relentless charitable work to ensure all children can read and have their own books is truly inspirational. She has now enabled the gifting of 130,905,270! Check out Imagination Library https://imaginationlibrary.com/
Richard Hughes, Service Host, ILA
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
To live a life with no stress, zero worries and low-risk responsibility!
7. What is your current state of mind?
That I am destined for greatness!
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
The ability to make things happen without depending on others, irregardless of the situation!
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
I am a people person…until you cross the line with me.
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
My parents.
35. What is your motto?
It is what it is… on to the next thing!
Liz Jones, Induction Lead, ILA
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Under the sea.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Judgement.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Laziness.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Laziness.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
David Attenborough.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Shoes.
7. What is your current state of mind?
Calm.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Tranquillity.
11. Which living person do you most despise?
Farage.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sensitivity.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Humour.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Mindfulness.
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
Play the guitar.
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A hedgehog.
24. What is your favourite occupation?
Swimming.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Directness.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Listening.
27. Who are your favourite writers?
Colm Toibin
31. What are your favourite names?
Grace.
32. What is it that you most dislike?
Celery.
33. What is your greatest regret?
Nothing.
34. How would you like to die?
Fast.
35. What is your motto?
Doe maar!
Susanne van Panhuys, Professional Development Coordinator, ILA
2. What is your greatest fear?
That something bad happens to my boys.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Not being honest.
5. Which living person do you most admire?
Until 2013 I would have said Nelson Mandela, now I’m not sure.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
There’s more than one: caring nature and humour.
13. What is the quality you most value in a woman?
Self-confidence and humour. Two is OK, isn’t it? 🙂
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My two boys and my second husband!
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would love to have a fast metabolism.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My whole life so far is one great achievement–in a nutshell, my optimism.
21. Where would you most like to live?
In France. An escape to the country!
22. What is your most treasured possession?
A Grandfather clock from 1786 made by a famous London clock-maker that I bought myself as a gift.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Their loyalty and the history we share.
35. What is your motto?
Always look on the bright side. Enjoy and create special moments for yourself and others around you.
Selina Wathern, Professional Development Lead, ILA
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Who – My husband Chris and my two boys, Rory and Theo.
What – Tea – I drink about 10 cups a day and really could not survive without it!!!
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
There are 2 things I would really love to be able to do:
- 1. Play the saxophone. I love the sound of the saxophone and having been a Wham/George Michael fan since my teenage years the first thing I would learn to play would be Careless Whisper!
- 2. To be able to speak any language. Having now lived in 3 different countries I have come to realise the value of speaking different languages and the opportunities this can bring.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
I feel blessed to have a small number of true friends who I met at different stages in my life (school, university, work, mummy friends…). They all have one thing in common: no matter how much time we spend away from each other, when we meet up again and see each other, it’s like not a single second has passed. They are there for me unconditionally and I know that they always will be.
31. What are your favourite names?
Rory and Theo, of course – the names of my children that my husband and I chose!
Stuart Whitfield, Professional Development Lead, ILA
9. On what occasion do you lie?
When completing online surveys.
26. What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and time to make the effort.
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Star-Lord, “He’s a mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly”
35. What is your motto?
If I can say yes, I will. If I say no I mean it.
From all of us at the ILA, we wish you a happy and merry everything! We’ll see you back in 2020.
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