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Quote by David Foster Wallace

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Brief Interviews With Hideous Men

This book is a series of interviews conducted by a male author with a diverse group of people, each with their own unique perspectives and experiences. The interviews delve into complex and thought-provoking topics, offering a glimpse into the lives and minds of the subjects. more

Author

David Foster Wallace
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

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“I'm totally vulnerable to all conditions of existence all the time, no matter where I go or how good I am. Really getting this deconditions me from illusion and entitlement. It’s a fast track to letting go of the ego. To say yes, to the conditions of existence liberates me. I face them directly rather than F.A.C.E them, with fear, attachment, control, and entitlement.”

“In the process of building an inspiring and attractive alternative government, Liberals will not follow in Lord Derby's oft-quoted advice, given in 1841, that 'the duty of an Opposition is to oppose everything, and propose nothing'. The British Tories did not win a parliamentary majority for the next thirty-three years, and if the Liberals adopted such a strategy, we too could be in the political wilderness for a long time. As Menzies once put it: 'The duty of an Opposition, if it has no ambition to be permanently on the left-hand side of the Speaker, is not to Oppose for Opposition's sake, but to oppose selectively. No Government is always wrong on everything, whatever the critics may say. The Opposition must choose the grounds on which to attack. To attack indiscriminately is to risk public opinion, which has a reserve of fairness not always understood'. Indeed, simply opposing the government may create headlines, but to win an election you need to present an alternative.”

“As you climb up a mountain towards nightfall, the trees and the houses, the steeple, the fields and the orchards, the road, and even the river, will gradually dwindle and fade, and at last disappear in the gloom that steals over the valley. But the threads of light that shine from the houses of men and pierce through the blackest of nights, these shine on undimmed. And every step that you take to the summit reveals but more lights, and more, in the hamlets asleep at your foot. For light, though so fragile, is perhaps the one thing of all that yields naught of itself as it faces immensity. Thus it is with our moral light too, when we look upon life from some slight elevation. It is well that reflection should teach us to disburden our soul of base passions; but it should not discourage, or weaken, our humblest desire for justice, for truth, and for love.”

“Nobody goes that deep. Everybody is so awestruck by this exterior beauty that they never think further—including me. After I fuck you in ten different positions to the content of my heart, there always comes a moment when the rate of return diminishes. After fucking you a thousand times, you’ll be just another girl. A woman, to me. Have you ever heard the phrase that no matter how beautiful a woman is there is always a man tired of fucking her. Then what? Then comes the void. The empty. The nothing. I am afraid of that shallow, because I know you... but I really don’t know you.”

“When Jesus talked about following Him, He didn’t sugarcoat it all. He didn’t say, ‘Follow Me, it’ll be great. You’re going to live an amazing life and I will pour my blessings on you financially.” Instead, it’s a much more realistic message, ‘Follow Me. It will probably be hard. People will probably persecute you and even hate you, but remember they hated Me first. I will be with you and give you strength to endure. Follow Me because I can give you eternal life.”