Inspirational Quotes by David Foster Wallace (American Novelist, Essayist)

David Foster Wallace (1962–2008) was a highly influential and versatile American novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. He is especially known for his dark humor, verbosity, and philosophical insight, and his satirical analysis of American culture. Before he committed suicide in 2008, he was considered one of America’s most promising young novelists.

Born in Ithaca, New York, Wallace became a literary celebrity following the publication of his second novel, Infinite Jest (1996,) a voluminous (1,079 pages long with 388 footnotes,) multilayered novel that he wrote over four years.

Wallace’s short stories are collected in Girl with Curious Hair (1989,) Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1999,) and Oblivion (2004.) He was also a highly praised nonfiction writer, using his signature digressive, footnote-heavy writing style to produce detailed essays. His essay collections include A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (1997) and Consider the Lobster, and Other Essays (2005.) Wallace also published Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity (2003,) a discourse on mathematics, one of his many intellectual passions.

Wallace had suffered from depression since his early twenties, and, after numerous failed attempts to find a practical course of therapy, he took his own life in 2008.

In 2005, Wallace gave a commencement address at Kenyon College on the significance of leading a compassionate life. The touching speech was reprinted in the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London before being published in book form as This Is Water (2009.)

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