Skip to Content

150 Fascinating Thought Provoking Questions To Ask Yourself And Others

A photo of Tom who is the Co-Founder of Questions About Everything

To learn how this content was created please read our Editorial Guidelines.

Thought provoking questions are what you should ask if you want to know what makes someone tick and strike up some fascinating conversations.

There’s a time and a place for small talk, but that’s not what you’ll be doing with these deep thought questions. They’re designed to lead to serious discussions about deep and important topics.

We’ve come up with a range of thoughtful questions you can ask to those you know, to yourself and some fun ones you can throw into any conversation.

If you’re looking for a collection of deep thinking questions that will lead to great conversations, let you learn more about friends and family and even open your eyes to ideas you hadn’t contemplated before, this is the list for you!

Best Thought Provoking Questions

This collection of profound questions are what we consider to be the most thought provoking.

Similar to our collection of philosophical questions, they’ll open up talking that can run and run for hours. If you want to spark a deep and meaningful conversation with someone, these are the questions to ask.

1. What do you think is the best thing that humans could all do together to make the world a better place?

Thought-Provoking Question 1

2. Would you forfeit inner peace to have world peace?

3. If alcohol was created now, would it be illegal?

4. Do you think religion is positive or negative?

5. Why do you think people are so scared to make mistakes when the best lessons come from mistakes?

6. What’s something that has happened to you that was horrible at the time, but you’re now glad it happened?

7. Why do we wait until moments of distress to tell people we love how much they mean to us?

8. Are you ok with superficial conversations, or do you prefer to speak about meaningful topics?

9. Does a person’s appearance influence their success?

10. If you could give your 15-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?


You might also like:


11. What personal morals would you never go against?

12. What’s the best way to rehabilitate a criminal, if not jail?

13. Do you think there’s one thing all humans would agree they have in common?

14. What are the positives and negatives of social media?

15. If you could have a second chance at one event in your life, what would you choose?

16. Do you think the world would be a better place without money?

17. How often do you agree to something that you really don’t want to?

18. Would you make drugs legal? If so, why?

You might also think: Mind Blowing Questions

19. If you could buy a house anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

20. Do you believe there’s life on other planets?

21. Do you think that one day we will colonize other planets?

22. Is humanity inherently good or evil?

23. What law would you make, and why would you make that law?

24. If you could only eat one food in your life, what would it be?

25. What one thing have you done in your life that you think everyone else should do?

26. Do you have any regrets, and if so, what are they?

27. If you had to write your own funeral speech, what would you write?

28. How do you think your future self will look at your current self?

29. If you were only given a week to live, how would you spend it?

30. Have you ever had a near-death experience? If so, what happened?

31. Are you afraid to die?

32. At what age did you first experience attraction, and how did you know what it was?

33. What do a lot of people do now that in five years they will be embarrassed about?

34. Which would you rather lose, your mind or your freedom?

35. Do you believe climate change is real?

Fun Thought Provoking Questions

Looking for some thought provoking questions that are a little on the light side?

This collection of questions should do the trick. They’re not as heavy as the rest but should still lead to some great conversations.

36. What’s your least favorite name, and why?

37. If you could start your life again, what career would you like to have?

38. If your life was a movie, what actor would play you and why?

39. Do you always say what you’re thinking?

40. Do you ever zone out mid-conversation?

41. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever heard someone say?

42. What one word best describes your life so far?

43. What has been your biggest mistake in life that you have learned the most from?

44. What’s the most important thing in life to you?

45. What’s one of the best conversations you’ve had and why?

46. What one thing do you want to achieve before you die and why?

47. What scares you most about life and why?

48. What do you most like to debate about and why?

49. What values are important to you as a person and why?

50. What wild animal do you secretly want to keep as a pet and why?

51. Have you ever not had enough money to feed yourself or your family?

52. Which person has made the most difference in your life and why?

53. What would be appropriate to say in the kitchen but not in the bedroom?

54. If you had three wishes, what would they be and why?

55. Do you believe there’s a dark side to everyone?

You might also like: Hardest Questions to Answer

56. What one thing would you improve about your health?

57. What one household item could you never live without?

58. Do you believe in forgiveness and second chances?

59. If you could make any animal the size of a mouse, what animal would it be and why?

60. Have you ever had a negative first impression of someone and then realized you were wrong?

61. What’s the scariest dream you’ve ever had?

62. Who do you always go to for advice and why?

63. If you could be any Disney character, who would you be and why?

64. If you could only ever shop at one place, where would it be and why?

65. If you could buy any car, what would it be and why?

66. What food would you eat every day and why?

67. Would you be a villain or the hero in your own movie?

68. What’s the greatest moment in your life so far?

69. Do you often compare yourself to others?

Thought Provoking Questions To Ask Yourself

If you’re looking for some questions which will lead to introspection into your own life, this section is for you.

While we tend to associate questions with other people, we can also ask questions about ourselves. This is a great way to evaluate where you’re at in your life.

These thought provoking questions will place a critical eye on yourself rather than others, which should lead to some interesting answers.

70. What’s the worst habit someone can have?

71. Are you happy with what you do and have in your life?

72. What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done?

73. What one subject do you always find you argue about?

Next: Hypothetical Questions

74. How do you show love to someone without saying it in words?

75. Do you believe in life after death? If so, what happens?

76. Do you have any values that others around you disagree with?

77. Would you ever go into business with or lend money to a friend?

78. What one moment in your life will you never forget?

79. Do you think you’re good at keeping secrets?

80. What hardship have you overcome in your life?

81. If your home was flooding, what would you pack in your grab bag?

82. What’s your perfect weekend and why?

83. What’s the funniest thing you have ever seen someone do and why?

84. Do you have people in your life you can call any time of the day?

85. If your pet had a voice, what do you think it would say to you?

86. What’s your opinion on regrets?

87. If you were famous, what would you be best known for?

88. Have you ever been in a room full of people but felt so alone?

89. Are you good at saying no?

90. Is humanity better off for all the new technologies we have?

91. When you think of a person, does your brain imagine their face or their name written down in letters?

You might also like: Good Questions to Ask

92. What makes you different from everyone else you know?

93. Has a song ever made you cry? Which one and why?

94. Do you think lying is ever ok? If so, when?

95. If you opened a shop, what would you sell?

96. Is there any country in the world that you visit?

97. What’s your favorite time of day and why?

98. What’s the best piece of wisdom anyone has ever given you?

99. What famous person inspires you the most and why?

100. Who’s the most entertaining person you know, and why are they entertaining?

101. Have you ever wanted to invent something? If so, what would it be?

102. What’s the best tip that someone has given you that has changed your life?

103. What’s the best or worst thing about yourself?

104. What’s one thing that makes you cry, and why?

105. What was the best holiday in your life so far?

106. Have you ever felt pressured to do something you didn’t want to do?

107. What’s your favorite possession, and why?

108. Do you always show people the real you?

109. Do you think the world will end? If so, what would cause it?

Next: Critical Thinking Questions

110. Do you think computers will ever take over the world?

Personal Thought Provoking Questions

These thought provoking questions are more personal than the others. They’re best used around people who you’re familiar with, instead of new acquaintances.

Similar to questions to get to know someone, they’re great to ask if you’re looking to tease out the inner personality of somebody, or what motivates them.

111. What makes you cry?

112. Would you consider yourself a motivated person?

113. Do you agree with the statement “time enjoyed wasted, isn’t wasted time”

114. What are your beliefs on gun ownership?

115. What are your opinions on immigration?

116. What one thing would you do to solve the homeless crisis?

117. Have your dreams ever come true? If so, what happened?

118. If money was no object, what skill would you most like to learn and why?

119. What’s one job you’ve always wanted and why?

120. What have you done recently that was exciting?

121. Was there a moment when your life took a different direction?

122. What’s stopping you from being the best version of yourself?

123. What weakness would you most like to work on and why?

124. What’s your earliest memory?

125. What are you most proud of and why?

126. If you had one month to live, what would you do?

127. Have you ever had a perfect moment, and if so, what was it?

Next: What if Questions

128. How often are you fully present in the moment?

129. What keeps you up at night?

130. Could you be without your mobile phone for a month?

131. Is it important to be someone you want to be or someone you think you should be?

132. Do you think self-love is selfish? If so, why?

133. Do you think things or experiences make you happy?

134. Describe yourself in ten words?

135. Would you put yourself in danger to save someone you loved?

136. What has been your best age so far, and why?

137. Do you find it hard to forgive?

138. As a parent, what is (or would be) your parental values to pass on?

139. Do you believe in the death penalty? If so, why?

140. Do you think the world will ever be at peace?

141. What do you do to relax?

142. If you ran the country, what would be the first rule you’d bring in?

143. What does success look like to you?

144. Are you around people who encourage you to be the best version of yourself?

145. Are criminals born criminals, or do you think it’s learned behavior?

146. Who’s your role model, and why?

147. What’s free but most valuable to you?

148. What’s your favorite day that you could live in?

149. Where do you think phobias come from?

150. Do you put yourself first enough?

Looking For More Questions?

Random Questions to Ask – Have some fun and bizarre conversations with this list of questions.

Self-Reflection Questions – A good list of questions that will help you look inwards and apply some introspection to your life.

Juicy Questions – Use these questions to spice up any conversation.

A photo of Tom who is the Co-Founder of Questions About Everything

Tom Stevenson

Co-Founder of Questions About Everything

Tom is a travel writer and Co-Founder of Questions About Everything. He grew up in the UK and enjoys spending his time traveling to new places, supporting Liverpool FC, and blogging about his adventures. He spent two years teaching English in Barcelona and frequently utilized question games and conversation starters as part of his lesson plans. As an EFL teacher, he took full responsibility for planning and delivering lessons, frequently employing creative and diverse questions to engage the children in conversation. Learn more about Tom on our About page.

LinkedIn

Instagram