Two young salmon are swimming along one day. As they do, they are passed by a wiser, older fish coming the other way. The wiser fish greets the two as he passes, saying, "Morning boys, how's the water?" The other two continue to swim in silence for a little while, until the first one turns to the other and asks, "What the hell is water?"
David Foster WallaceI tend to think of fiction as being mainly about characters and human beings and inner experience, whereas essays can be much more expository and didactic and more about subjects or ideas.
David Foster WallaceOne paradox of professional writing is that books written solely for money and/or acclaim will almost never be good enough to garner either.
David Foster WallaceI'm very bright, but I'm terrified of sounding like someone who thinks he's very bright-because those people are assholes.
David Foster WallaceWhat the really great artists do is they're entirely themselves. They're entirely themselves. They've got their own vision, they have their own way of fracturing reality, and if it's authentic and true, you will feel it in your nerve endings.
David Foster Wallace