Proust's Questionnaire, My Answers
Questions only a teenager would ask.
I see that someone has republished David Bowie’s answers to a questionnaire given to Marcel Proust by a school friend when he (Proust) was a teenager. If Proust and Bowie can do it, so can I — and so can you. Feel free to do so in the comments if you are so inclined.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Stillness.
What is your most marked characteristic?
The absence of stillness.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Learning to notice.
What is your greatest fear?
Noticing too much.
What historical figure do you most identify with?
Thomas Paine.
Which living person do you most admire?
I don’t know her name, but she is trying to raise her children under constant bombardment from US-made weaponry — in Yemen or Palestine, I’m not sure which.
Who are your heroes in real life?
See above.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Pretense.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Pretense.
What is your favorite journey?
The one not yet taken (thereby confirming my answer to the question before last.)
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Perseverance.
Which word or phrases do you most overuse?
“If alien anthropologists come upon our world, centuries from now …”
What is your greatest regret?
That I didn’t do more with the time I had.
What is your current state of mind?
Wishing I had done more with the time I had.
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
My family of origin? The birth order.
What is your most treasured possession?
One of my musical instruments. I won’t say which one for fear of hurting the others.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Leaving undone those things which we ought to have done; and doing those things which we ought not to have done.
Where would you like to live?
Ireland, or Morocco, or the South of France. Pick one.
What is your favorite occupation?
Traveling, seeing things, and writing about them.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Empathy.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Empathy.
What are your favorite names?
Callisto, Abu Hureira (trans. Father of Kittens), and Cindy Lou.
What is your motto?
This space available. Inquire within.