You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
I had, by thirteen, developed a sort of Taoist hubris about my ability to control via non-control.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a paradoxical understanding of control through the acceptance of non-control.
David Foster Wallace expresses a complex notion of self-awareness and maturity he achieved by thirteen, suggesting that he recognized a form of confidence or arrogance (hubris) in his ability to exert influence or control over his life and circumstances, not through forceful action, but by adopting a philosophy of non-resistance or acceptance. This idea resonates with Taoist principles, which advocate for harmony with the natural flow of life rather than striving against it.
Themes
ControlNon-ControlHubrisTaoismSelf-AwarenessAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and letting go of anxiety.
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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