--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writer David Foster Wallace said that he…" description: "\"“Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably bright but also reasonably average pay far..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png" --- # Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good… ![“Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably bright but also reasonably average pay far closer attention and think at far more length about all sorts of different stuff than most of us have a chance to in our daily lives.” Amateurs fit…” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png) > ““Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably bright but also reasonably average pay far closer attention and think at far more length about all sorts of different stuff than most of us have a chance to in our daily lives.” Amateurs fit the same bill: They’re just regular people who get obsessed by something and spend a ton of time thinking out loud about it.”” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good nonfiction lets ordinary people deeply explore topics, turning curiosity into focused, lengthy thought. **In simple terms:** Nonfiction lets everyday people think deeply. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and write extensively. Themes creativity learning observation Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary educational When to use this quote - writing practice - research projects - personal study Key Concepts depth of analysis everyday expertise Questions to Reflect On - What everyday topic could you explore deeply? - How does focused observation enhance understanding? A Different Perspective May be time‑intensive for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amateurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Thinking out loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-out-loud/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In fiction, you learn about pacing and how to build tension - which is something you want in a really good nonfiction feature article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-hesse/in-fiction-you-learn-about-pacing-and-how-to-build-tension-which-is/) [Monica Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-hesse/) > [“Watching amateurs at work can also inspire us to attempt the work ourselves. “I saw the Sex Pistols,” said New Order frontman Bernard Sumner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/watching-amateurs-at-work-can-also-inspire-us-to-attempt-the-work/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. Even for professionals, the best way to flourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-world-is-changing-at-such-a-rapid-rate-that-it-s-turning-us-all-2/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“This is yet another trait of amateurs—they’ll use whatever tools they can get their hands on to try to get their ideas into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/this-is-yet-another-trait-of-amateurs-they-ll-use-whatever-tools-they/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-world-is-changing-at-such-a-rapid-rate-that-it-s-turning-us-all/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/amateurs-know-that-contributing-something-is-better-than-contributing/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It was always meant to ease out of a big radio song and flow into the next one. Don't is the bridge song in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/it-was-always-meant-to-ease-out-of-a-big-radio-song-and-flow-into-the/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [I'm a pervert, don't judge me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrickm/i-m-a-pervert-don-t-judge-me/) Fredrickm > [My dad was not super-intentional in his parenting. He was very self-absorbed. I won't say mean or selfish per se, but very self-absorbed. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/my-dad-was-not-super-intentional-in-his-parenting-he-was-very-self/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Sarah sits up and reaches over, plucking a string on my guitar. It’s propped against the nightstand on her side of the bed. “So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/sarah-sits-up-and-reaches-over-plucking-a-string-on-my-guitar-it-s/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [“What song is this? I haven’t heard it.” “‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-force/what-song-is-this-i-haven-t-heard-it-thinking-out-loud-by-ed-sheeran/) [Marie Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-force/) > [“Well,” he was clearly thinking out loud, “probably someone who wants to be at practice. I love gym rats, but not just the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/well-he-was-clearly-thinking-out-loud-probably-someone-who-wants-to/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [These are my words; this is their world, a world in which we can wear our gender on our sleeves, unabashedly, as we go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/these-are-my-words-this-is-their-world-a-world-in-which-we-can-wear/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70 And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23 And I'm thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/and-darling-i-will-be-loving-you-til-we-re-70-and-baby-my-heart-could/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [“Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person. One other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fagan/introspection-means-talking-to-yourself-and-one-of-the-best-ways-of/) [Kate Fagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fagan/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don’t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/social-media-sites-are-the-perfect-place-to-share-daily-updates-don-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More Amateurs quotes > [Dealing with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its board of directors, who are so great, and then seeing how these Rock Hall guys operate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/dealing-with-jazz-at-lincoln-center-and-its-board-of-directors-who/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [I love mixing amateurs and professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-love-mixing-amateurs-and-professionals/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [Even virtue is an art; and even its devotees are divided into those who practise it and those who are merely amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/even-virtue-is-an-art-and-even-its-devotees-are-divided-into-those/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Most amateurs are so worried about mis-hitting the shot or hitting it off line, they don't make an aggressive move. You'd be surprised how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-bradley/most-amateurs-are-so-worried-about-mis-hitting-the-shot-or-hitting-it/) [Keegan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-bradley/) > [A lot of amateurs are terrified of going up against a player who is clearly better than they are. They never play their best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuzzy-zoeller/a-lot-of-amateurs-are-terrified-of-going-up-against-a-player-who-is/) [Fuzzy Zoeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuzzy-zoeller/) > [Amateurs look for challenges; professionals look for easy trades. Losers get high from the action; the pros look for the best odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-elder/amateurs-look-for-challenges-professionals-look-for-easy-trades/) [Alexander Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-elder/) > [Inner beauty is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-taintor/inner-beauty-is-for-amateurs/) [Anne Taintor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-taintor/) > [There's a myth among amateurs, optimists and fools that beyond a certain level of achievement, famous artists retire to some kind of Elysium where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-matousek/there-s-a-myth-among-amateurs-optimists-and-fools-that-beyond-a/) [Mark Matousek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-matousek/) > [You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/you-know-criticism-began-as-the-province-of-amateurs-of-wealthy-men/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [Conor is not emulating me. He has to be his own man and learn his trade from the start. He will fight in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/conor-is-not-emulating-me-he-has-to-be-his-own-man-and-learn-his/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [We're all amateurs when it comes to love. Don't be too hard on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/we-re-all-amateurs-when-it-comes-to-love-don-t-be-too-hard-on-each/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [Sometimes, I wish we were all amateurs again. I'd play for nothing. Ab-so-lute-ly free. But that's not the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-marino/sometimes-i-wish-we-were-all-amateurs-again-i-d-play-for-nothing-ab/) [Dan Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-marino/) > [Inspiration is for amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/inspiration-is-for-amateurs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Inspiration is for amateurs,” Close says. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/inspiration-is-for-amateurs-close-says-the-rest-of-us-just-show-up/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) [Browse all 127 Amateurs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amateurs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably bright but also reasonably average pay far closer attention and think at far more length about all sorts of different stuff than most of us have a chance to in our daily lives.” Amateurs fit the same bill: They’re just regular people who get obsessed by something and spend a ton of time thinking out loud about it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Austin Kleon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he-thought-good-nonfiction-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amateurs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he-thought-good-nonfiction-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0b/austin-kleon-1835_amateurs_writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he_1917585.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writer David Foster Wallace said that he thought good nonfiction was a chance to “watch somebody reasonably…” — Austin Kleon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Austin Kleon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Writer David Foster Wallace said that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he-thought-good-nonfiction-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writer-david-foster-wallace-said-that-he-thought-good-nonfiction-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```