David Foster Wallace

Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in THIS IS WATER. How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life unconsciously? How do we get ourselves out of the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion? The speech captures Wallace's electric intellect as well as his grace in attention to others. After his death, it became a treasured piece of writing reprinted in The Wall Street Journal and the London Times, commented on endlessly in blogs, and emailed from friend to friend. Writing with his one-of-a-kind blend of causal humor, exacting intellect, and practical philosophy, David Foster Wallace probes the challenges of daily living and offers advice that renews us with every reading.

Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

This Is Water

In this rare peak into the personal life of the author of numerous bestselling novels, gain an understanding of David Foster Wallace and how he became the man that he was. Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in This is Water. How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life unconsciously? How do we get ourselves out of the foreground of our thoughts and achieve compassion? The speech captures Wallace's electric intellect as well as his grace in attention to others. After his death, it became a treasured piece of writing reprinted in The Wall Street Journal and the London Times, commented on endlessly in blogs, and emailed from friend to friend. Writing with his one-of-a-kind blend of causal humor, exacting intellect, and practical philosophy, David Foster Wallace probes the challenges of daily living and offers advice that renews us with every reading.

Gelaine Trinidad

"And the so-called “real world” will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the so-called “real world” of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self."

Benedict Neo

I loved the style of the book, a one sentence per-page type that lets you runinate over each sentence and extract as much value as you can from them. 

My interpretation of this beautiful piece of work is that we get so caught up in the "rat race" of life, chasing the next high and worshipping false gods (money, power, beauty, intellect, science) and not slowing down to realize that we're unconscious (living a zombified life) and not truly living. This illusion of living plagues many people today, especially with the media and the Internet influencing many people's mindset and frame of references, where they're opinions and beliefs are shaped by others, they're decisions and actions, and ultimately their entire life.

That said, David Foster Wallace writes that a Liberal arts education grants one with the ability to "learn how to think", and not in some abstract, philosophical way, but I quote

"to learn how to exercise some control over how and what you think." and adds on that "It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience."

To think this way is the best kind of freedom, a real freedom that isn't artificially created, it requires attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and to be compassionate and kind to others with all our might.

This philosophy of thinking, "This is Water", is powerful and practical. And I'll remembering that as I go through the ebbs and flows of life, both the mundane and banal part of it and the parts with friendships, love, family, and faith.

Maria

What a powerful wisdom delivered succinctly. I want to read more David Foster Wallace now.

Gavin

There's been a lot of DFW hate lately – here, here, here, here. But who else marries the syrupy plain with the thrilling theoretical arcane? Could anyone fail to understand the retrospectively obvious point of this little lecture? (Roughly just: It requires constant work to divert yourself from egotism and irritation; this work is the point of education and the essence of maturity.)

The audience titters throughout the recording; this grates on me. It’s the forced, knowing laughter you hear in theatres. I submit that it’s this feature of DFW’s audience that Ellis and TLP hate. I don’t know if reading DFW makes me any less self-obsessed and disdainful, but actually it feels like it might.

Bridget Smith

i'll probably be saying "this is water" to myself every time im in a long line at the grocery store for the rest of my life

Nelson Zagalo

A message that resonates inside me 100%. I feel like my inside thoughts have been externalised and verbalised by someone else. I loved the interpretation David Foster Wallace gave to all these thoughts. Thanks, even if you are not among us anymore.

brendan sudol

One of those books that every person should read, every year

Raag Sudha

As a fresh graduate this book was really hard hitting simply because of how relevant it is in my life right now. I really enjoyed Wallace's writing and the complex interweaving of metaphors and parables into a dialogue that is relentlessly self-reflexive and disturbingly lucid. I found myself highlighting phrases and rereading chunks of text simply because of how well put they were. I am still in awe of the literary techniques and imagery used, and would highly recommend this book to anybody who has ever wondered about how they want to live their life and whether this is all there is.

Melody Izard

I knew it was a short book - but it's more like a greeting card. He talks about sadness and how knowing how to think can help lift you out of the sleep, eat, work repeat routine. But then we know how it ends. So it makes it a little scary and creepy and you then you have to remind yourself: DFW was clever and certainly had a way with words - but he was no sage.

Laura Mitchell Hutchinson

Never felt so seen. This was gifted to me by an older and wiser friend in the year when I graduated uni and was struggling to adjust to my new ‘adult life’. It’s my favourite thing to read while crying. My go-to grad gift from now on.

Carolina Lopes

Hugo Ahlberg

I keep coming back to this commencement speech

I was recently introduced to the recording of this beautiful and thought provoking commencement speech by DFW and have since revisited it a few times already.. it’s so packed with wisdom. (The kindle book has terrible formatting though)

This Is Water Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

Reviews