“He made a gesture I can't describe: 'Gentlemen, welcome to the world of reality--there is no audience. No one to applaud, to admire. No one to see you. Do you understand? Here is the truth --actual heroism receives no queues up to see it. No one is interested.' He paused again and smiled in a way that was not one bit self-mocking. True heroism is you, alone, in a designated work space. True heroism is minutes, hours, weeks, year upon year of the quiet, precise, judicious exercise of probity and care--with no one there to see or cheer. This is the world. Just you and the job, at your desk. You and the return, you and the cash-flow data, you and the inventory protocol, you and the depreciation schedules, you and the numbers.' His tone was wholly matter-of-fact.”
Quote by David Foster Wallace
Work
Something to Do with Paying Attention
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Girl With Curious Hair
Source: David Foster Wallace: The Last Interview and Other Conversations
Source: Infinite Jest
Source: Conversations with David Foster Wallace
Source: Infinite Jest
Source: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
Source: Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life
Source: Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace
Source: Fahrenheit 451
Source: The Museum of Abandoned Secrets
