You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
[I]f the writer does his job right, what he basically does is remind the reader of how smart the reader is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that a good writer helps readers recognize their own intelligence.
David Foster Wallace highlights the role of a writer as a facilitator for readers, suggesting that the true skill of writing lies in provoking thought and reflection. When a writer does their job well, they don't just present information; instead, they stimulate the reader’s mind, allowing them to realize their own capacity for understanding and insight. This relationship fosters a deeper connection between the reader and the text, where the reader feels empowered and intellectually engaged.
Themes
WritingReaderIntelligenceUnderstandingConnection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a writing workshop to inspire aspiring authors.
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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David Foster WallaceRead
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