Proust

Marcel Proust was a French essayist and novelist. I have never read any of his essays or books. I read the Proust Questionnaire a few months ago and contemplated sharing it and my answers with you. He believed that by answering these questions you reveal your true nature. I do not intend to answer all of them in one post. Some questions may lend themselves to an entire blog post. Some may require several questions and answers to make a blog entry. Today all you get are the questions. I hope the exercise is interesting enough that you choose to examine your life. Perhaps not in this type of public forum, but in a manner that is comfortable for you. Here are the questions.

1. What is your current state of mind?
2. What is your favorite journey?
3. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
4. What is your greatest fear?
5. What is your most marked characteristic?
6. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
7. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
8. What is your greatest extravagance?
9. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
10. On what occasion do you lie?
11. Dislike most about your appearance?
12. Which living person do you most despise?
13. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
14. What is your greatest regret?
15. What or who is the greatest love in your life?
16. When and where were you the happiest?
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
19. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
20. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
21. What is your most treasured possession?
22. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
23. Where would you like to live?
24. What is your favorite occupation?
25. What is the quality you most like in a man?
26. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
27. What do you value most in your friends?
28. Who are your favorite writers?
29. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
30. What is it that you most dislike?
31. Who are your heroes in real life?
32. How would you like to die?
33. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
34. What is your motto?

Some questions on the surface appear to be easy. Some seem almost impossible. I will do my best over the next few blog posts to answer every one as completely and honestly as possible. Take some time as I do this to think about your answers to these questions.