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Quote by David Foster Wallace

“That concentrating intently on anything is very hard work.”

Work

David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is a sprawling, experimental novel that delves into the lives of various characters, including an enigmatic tennis prodigy, a recovering addict, and a group of individuals living in a halfway house. The narrative is known for its intricate structure, extensive footnotes, and philosophical musings on the nature of reality and human experience. more

Author

David Foster Wallace

American novelist known for his unique literary style and profound insights into modern life. His works include 'Infinite Jest' and 'The Broom of the System'. more

“People have been carping in this way for many centuries. Socrates feared that the act of writing would “create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls.” The sixteenth-century scientist Conrad Gessner worried that the printing press would facilitate an “always on” environment. In the eighteenth century, men complained that newspapers would be intellectually and morally isolating, and that the rise of the novel would make it difficult for people—specifically women—to differentiate between fiction and fact. We worried that radio would drive children to distraction, and later that TV would erode the careful attention required by radio. In 1985, Neil Postman observed that the American desire for constant entertainment had become toxic, that television had ushered in a “vast descent into triviality.”

Attention Span

Book:Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

Source: Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

“He who's distracted answers clumsily.”

Attraction Distraction Attention Span

Book:Inferno

Source: Inferno

“The resource of generational history is accorded little attention our society, which seems ever more obsessed with making “new” and “better” synonymous. From my family I became aware of the importance of passing along wisdom from one generation to the next. Yet despite the increasing proliferation of digital recording and other communication technologies, we’re passing on less knowledge today than our parents did through the oral tradition alone. We’re drowning in photographs and videos, capturing every mundane moment of our birthdays, holidays, and vacations. Yet these can be no more than pleasant distraction, only scratching the surface of our real relationships.”

Wisdom Technology Modernity Attention Span

Book:The Seventeen Traditions

Source: The Seventeen Traditions

“The average human attention span was 12 seconds in 2000 and 8 seconds in 2013. A drop of 33%. The scary part is that the attention span of a goldfish was 9 seconds, almost 13% more than us humans. That’s why it’s getting tougher by the day to get people to turn the page. Maybe we writers ought to try writing for goldfish instead!”

Writing Attention Span Goldfish

Author:Ashwin Sanghi

“The average buyer in bookshop spends 8 seconds on the front cover and 15 seconds on the back cover before deciding whether to purchase the book or not. On average, he does not get past page 18. See? The odds are stacked against us writers!”

Reading Writers Bookstores Attention Span

Author:Ashwin Sanghi

“We have more choice than ever before, but no matter what we choose, we have lost the ability to really pay attention to it.”

Attention Choice Distraction Modernity Attention Span

Book:Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow By Yuval Noah Harari & How We Got to Now Six Innovations that Made the Modern World By Steven Johnson 2 Books Collection Set

Source: Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow By Yuval Noah Harari & How We Got to Now Six Innovations that Made the Modern World By Steven Johnson 2 Books Collection Set

“I recently made my directorial debut in the category of duck documentary—in GIF format. I hope viewers don’t think my cinematic masterpiece goes on too long, because the extended version comes in at just over six seconds—which might be pushing the limits of modern attention spans.”

Absurd Ducks Surreal Duck Duck Quote Duck Quotes Attention Span Documentary Gif

Book:Music is fluid, and my saxophone overflows when my ducks slosh in the sounds I make in elevators.

Source: Music is fluid, and my saxophone overflows when my ducks slosh in the sounds I make in elevators.

“I was for the first time in my life living within the limits of my attention's resources. I was observing as much information as I could actually process, think about and contemplate. The fire hose of information was turned off. Instead, I was sipping water at the pace I chose.”

Attention Span Nosurf

Book:Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention— and How to Think Deeply Again

Source: Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention— and How to Think Deeply Again

“I woke up early and took the first train to take me away from the city. The noise and all its people. I was alone on the train and had no idea where I was going, and that’s why I went there. Two hours later we arrived in a small town, one of those towns with one single coffee shop and where everyone knows each other’s name. I walked for a while until I found the water, the most peaceful place I know. There I sat and stayed the whole day, with nothing and everything on my mind, cleaning my head. Silence, I learned, is some times the most beautiful sound.”