You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
People, unless they're paying attention, tend to confuse fanciness with intelligence or authority.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the mistaken belief that superficial appearances signify true intelligence or authority.
David Foster Wallace points out a common misconception where people associate elaborate or fancy presentations with deeper knowledge or leadership qualities. This statement serves as a reminder to look beyond appearances and recognize substance rather than being swayed by superficial traits. It encourages critical thinking and discernment in evaluating individuals' true capabilities.
Themes
FancinessIntelligenceAuthorityPerceptionAppearance
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about leadership styles, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of substance over style.
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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