---
title: "6 People Think Quotes By David Foster Wallace"
description: "6 People Think quotes by David Foster Wallace. Plus more from David Foster Wallace and more People Think sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg"
---

> [You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with-what-other-people-think-of/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg)

> [“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the conversation and look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light-conversation-with-you-stop/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_1833524.jpg)

> [“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the conversation and look at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light-conversation-with-you-stop-2/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_2561305.jpg)

> [That sometimes human beings have to just sit in one place and, like, hurt. That you will become way less concerned with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just-sit-in-one-place-and-like/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/david-foster-wallace-161_anxiety_that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just_3052917.jpg)

> [What TV is extremely good at - and realize that this is 'all it does' - is discerning what large numbers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize-that-this-is-all-it-does-is/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/david-foster-wallace-161_discerning_what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize_3175614.jpg)

> [“You'll worry less about what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-think-about-you-when-you-realize/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/david-foster-wallace-161_fear_you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-thin_3193963.jpg)

## Other authors on People Think

## More by David Foster Wallace

> [“I felt more solidly composed, now that I was horizontal. I was impossible to knock down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-felt-more-solidly-composed-now-that-i-was-horizontal-i-was/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“We all have our little solipsistic delusions, ghastly intuitions of utter singularity: that we are the only one in the house who ever fills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/we-all-have-our-little-solipsistic-delusions-ghastly-intuitions-of/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [Footnote: 79) The anchor is gigantic and must weigh a hundred tons, and -- delightfully -- it really is anchor-shaped, i.e. the same shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/footnote-79-the-anchor-is-gigantic-and-must-weigh-a-hundred-tons-and/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“The paradoxical intercourse of audience and celebrity. The suppressed awareness that the whole reason ordinary people found celebrity fascinating was that they were not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-paradoxical-intercourse-of-audience-and-celebrity-the-suppressed/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“I am coming to see that the sensation of the worst nightmares, a sensation that can be felt asleep or awake, is identical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-am-coming-to-see-that-the-sensation-of-the-worst-nightmares-a/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“He cranks the condo’s AC way down at night and still most mornings wakes up soaked, fetally curled, entombed in that kind of psychic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/he-cranks-the-condo-s-ac-way-down-at-night-and-still-most-mornings/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“If you’re subjected to enough great salesmen and salespitches and marketing concepts for long enough—like from your earliest Saturday-morning cartoons, let’s say—it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/if-you-re-subjected-to-enough-great-salesmen-and-salespitches-and/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“Why is the truth usually not just un- but anti-interesting?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/why-is-the-truth-usually-not-just-un-but-anti-interesting/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“She almost reminds the engineer of certain types in high school whom everyone adored because you sensed it made no difference to them whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/she-almost-reminds-the-engineer-of-certain-types-in-high-school-whom/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [To be, in a word, unborable… It is the key to modern life. If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-be-in-a-word-unborable-it-is-the-key-to-modern-life-if-you-are/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“It is within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-is-within-your-power-to-experience-a-crowded-loud-slow-consumer/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“The happy pleasure of the person alone, yes?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-happy-pleasure-of-the-person-alone-yes/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [There is such a thing as raw, unalloyed, agendaless kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/there-is-such-a-thing-as-raw-unalloyed-agendaless-kindness/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/#itemlist",
            "name": "6 People Think Quotes By David Foster Wallace",
            "numberOfItems": 6,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with-what-other-people-think-of/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the conversation and look at the person closely and say, “What’s wrong?” You say it in a concerned way. He’ll say, “What do you mean?” You say, “Something’s wrong. I can tell. What is it?” And he’ll look stunned and say, “How did you know?” He doesn’t realize something’s always wrong, with everybody. Often more than one thing. He doesn’t know everybody’s always going around all the time with something wrong and believing they’re exerting great willpower and control to keep other people, for whom they think nothing’s ever wrong, from seeing it. This is the way of people. Suddenly ask what’s wrong and whether they open up and spill their guts or deny it and pretend you’re off, they’ll think you’re perceptive and understanding. They’ll either be grateful, or they’ll be frightened and avoid you from then on. Both reactions have their uses, as we’ll get to. You can play it either way. This works over 90 percent of the time.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light-conversation-with-you-stop/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_1833524.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_1833524.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_1833524.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the…” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the conversation and look at the person closely and say, “What’s wrong?” You say it in a concerned way. He’ll say, “What do you mean?” You say, “Something’s wrong. I can tell. What is it?” And he’ll look stunned and say, “How did you know?” He doesn’t realize something’s always wrong, with everybody. Often more than one thing. He doesn’t know everybody’s always going around all the time with something wrong and believing they’re exerting great willpower and control to keep other people, for whom they think nothing’s ever wrong, from seeing it.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light-conversation-with-you-stop-2/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_2561305.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_2561305.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/david-foster-wallace-161_communication_the-next-suitable-person-you-re-in-light_2561305.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the…” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "That sometimes human beings have to just sit in one place and, like, hurt. That you will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do. That there is such a thing as raw, unalloyed, agendaless kindness. That it is possible to fall asleep during an anxiety attack. That concentrating on anything is very hard work.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just-sit-in-one-place-and-like/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/david-foster-wallace-161_anxiety_that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just_3052917.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/david-foster-wallace-161_anxiety_that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just_3052917.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/david-foster-wallace-161_anxiety_that-sometimes-human-beings-have-to-just_3052917.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“That sometimes human beings have to just sit in one place and, like, hurt. That you will become way less…” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "What TV is extremely good at - and realize that this is 'all it does' - is discerning what large numbers of people think they want, and supplying it.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize-that-this-is-all-it-does-is/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/david-foster-wallace-161_discerning_what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize_3175614.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/david-foster-wallace-161_discerning_what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize_3175614.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/david-foster-wallace-161_discerning_what-tv-is-extremely-good-at-and-realize_3175614.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“What TV is extremely good at - and realize that this is 'all it does' - is discerning what large numbers of…” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 6,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“You'll worry less about what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "David Foster Wallace"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-think-about-you-when-you-realize/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/david-foster-wallace-161_fear_you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-thin_3193963.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/david-foster-wallace-161_fear_you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-thin_3193963.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/david-foster-wallace-161_fear_you-ll-worry-less-about-what-people-thin_3193963.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“You'll worry less about what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do.” — David Foster Wallace",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/",
            "name": "People Think Quotes by David Foster Wallace",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/david-foster-wallace-161_concerned_you-will-become-way-less-concerned-with_743240.jpg"
            },
            "description": "6 People Think quotes by David Foster Wallace. Plus more from David Foster Wallace and more People Think sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People Think",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "David Foster Wallace",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/david-foster-wallace/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
