You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
This is so American, man: either make something your God and cosmos and then worship it, or else kill it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the extremes of devotion and rejection in American culture.
David Foster Wallace's quote reflects on the dualistic nature of American society, where individuals often feel compelled to either idolize something, elevating it to god-like status, or dismiss it entirely. This stark binary reveals the intense dedication and subsequent disillusionment that can characterize modern life, suggesting that such polarized views can lead to a loss of nuance in navigating beliefs and values.
Themes
AmericanDevotionIdolatryCultureExtremes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on cultural values, one might reference this quote to illustrate the intensity of American beliefs.
More from David Foster Wallace
All quotes βEverything in my own immediate experience supports my deep belief that I am the absolute center of the universe, the realest, most vivid and important person in existence.
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It seems important to find ways of reminding ourselves that most 'familiarity' is meditated and delusive.
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Under fun's new administration, writing fiction becomes a way to go deep inside yourself and illuminate precisely the stuff you don't want to see or let anyone else see, and this stuff usually turns out (paradoxically) to be precisely the stuff all writers and readers share and respond to, feel.
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Acceptance is usually more a matter of fatigue than anything else.
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Bliss - a-second-by-second joy and gratitude at the gift of being alive, conscious - lies on the other side of crushing, crushing boredom. Pay close attention to the most tedious thing you can find (Tax Returns, Televised Golf) and, in waves, a boredom like youβve never known will wash over you and just about kill you. Ride these out, and itβs like stepping from black and white into color. Like water after days in the desert. Instant bliss in every atom.
David Foster WallaceRead
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