You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
Te Occidere Possunt Sed Te Edere Non Possunt Nefas Est" ("They can kill you, but the legalities of eating you are quite a bit dicier").
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the ethical implications of actions that can harm others, particularly in the context of societal norms.
David Foster Wallace's quote underscores the absurdity of certain moral and legal distinctions that society makes. It draws attention to the complexity of human behavior where one may face life-threatening situations from others, yet norms surrounding moral consumption (like 'eating' a person) become ethically contentious, revealing the limitations and complexities of legal and moral frameworks governing our actions.
Themes
EthicsMoralitySocietyBehaviorLegalities
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethical dilemmas, this quote can be used to evoke consideration of moral complexities.
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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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