David Foster Wallace

"That is what it is to be human: to seem to want one thing and to need another."

"The so-called 'real world' punishes idealism and rewards cynicism."

"The so-called 'problem' of meaning is really a problem of language."

"There is no more important time than now."

"The so-called 'good' is what brings peace to the soul."

"The so-called 'real' is what remains when all interpretation is removed."

"To exist is to be in relation to other existences."

"The so-called 'purpose' of life is usually discovered after it has been lived."

"There is no substitute for attention in human relations."

"The so-called 'ego' is really just a defense mechanism against annihilation."

"Most of American 'freedom' consists of the freedom to buy things."

"The so-called 'depths' of the soul are usually quite shallow."

"There is no greater gift than the gift of understanding."

"The so-called 'real' is what hurts when you keep denying it."

"To be truly alone is to be truly free."

"The so-called 'beauty' of a thought is in its clarity."

"There is no more terrifying freedom than the freedom to make your own meaning."

"The so-called 'problem' of time is really a problem of mortality."

"Most intellectual traditions assume that deeper truth means less accessible language."

"The so-called 'present moment' is really an illusion created by consciousness."

"There is no such thing as a wholly original thought."

"The so-called 'real world' is often far less real than our imaginings of it."

"To forget is to forgive; to forgive is to forget."

"The so-called 'meaning' of a word is determined by its use."

"There is no more powerful force than the desire to be understood."

"The so-called 'real' emerges when the self is temporarily forgotten."

"To be in the world is to be wounded by it."

"The so-called 'beautiful' is really just the familiar made strange."

"There is no escaping the human condition; there is only acceptance."

"The so-called 'problem' of other minds is really a problem of empathy."