You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
The fact that the most powerful and significant connections in our lives are (at the time) invisible to us seems to me a compelling argument for religious reverence rather than skeptical empiricism as a response to life's meaning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the most important aspects of life might not always be visible or understandable, advocating for a sense of reverence towards these mysteries.
David Foster Wallace emphasizes that the most profound and influential connections in our lives often remain unseen and unidentified at first. He argues that rather than approaching these elements with skepticism or solely empirical analysis, one should cultivate a sense of reverence and spiritual openness. This perspective allows for a richer understanding of life's meaning, acknowledging the depth and complexity that isn't always immediately apparent.
Themes
ConnectionsInvisibleLifeMeaningReverence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might use this quote to highlight unseen relationships that shape our development.
More from David Foster Wallace
All quotes →Everything 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 you’ve never known will wash over you and just about kill you. Ride these out, and it’s 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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