You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
And when he came to, he was flat on his back on the beach in the freezing sand, and it was raining out of a low sky, and the tide was way out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote evokes a sense of existential awareness and the harsh realities of life.
David Foster Wallace's quote captures a vivid moment of awakening, where the protagonist finds himself in a desolate and uncomfortable situation. The imagery of being flat on the cold beach in the rain symbolizes the struggle and harshness of reality, prompting reflection on one's circumstances and existence. It invites the reader to contemplate the disconnection and challenges faced in life, suggesting a deeper understanding of one’s own state of being.
Themes
ExistenceRealityAwakeningStruggleContemplation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a philosophical discussion about the nature of existence.
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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