I never, even for a moment, doubted what theyโd told me. This is why it is that adults and even parents can, unwittingly, be cruel: they cannot imagine doubtโs complete absence. They have forgotten.
David Foster Wallace[I]f the writer does his job right, what he basically does is remind the reader of how smart the reader is.
David Foster WallaceThe first time I lay actual eyes on the real David Lynch on the set of his movie, he's peeing on a tree...Mr. David Lynch, a prodigious coffee drinker, apparently pees hard and often.
David Foster WallaceSome words have to be explicitly uttered, Lenore. Only by actually uttering certain words does one really DO what one SAYS. 'Love' is one of those words, performative words. Some words can literally make things real.
David Foster WallaceI read," I say. "I study and read. I bet I've read everything you read. Don't think I haven't. I consume libraries. I wear out spines and ROM-drives. I do things like get in a taxi and say, "The library, and step on it." My instincts concerning syntax and mechanics are better than your own, I can tell, with all due respect. But it transcends the mechanics. I'm not a machine. I feel and believe. I have opinions. Some of them are interesting. I could, if you'd let me, talk and talk.
David Foster Wallace