Choice Quote by David Foster Wallace
““I had to face: I had chosen. My choice, this was love. I had chosen I think the way out of the chains of the cage. I needed this woman. Without her to choose over myself, there was only pain and not choosing, rolling drunkenly and making fantasies of death.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace, 1996
The speaker confronts the painful reality of love, recognizing that choosing a partner can be both a liberation from isolation and a source of deep emotional turmoil.
In simple terms: Love can free and hurt; choosing is painful.
Key Takeaway
Embrace love’s complexity, accept its risks.
Themes
love
choice
pain
freedom
dependency
Mood
conflicted
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
emotional
When to use this quote
- marriage
- breakups
- personal growth
- mental health
- self‑acceptance
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
relationships
Questions to Reflect On
- What does choosing love mean for your identity?
- How can you balance dependence and autonomy?
A Different Perspective
Love may not resolve all suffering; it can create new anxieties.
![“…there is an ending [to Infinite Jest] as far as I'm concerned. Certain kind of parallel lines are supposed to start converging in such a way that an "end" can be projected by the reader somewhere beyond the right frame. If no such convergence or projection occured to you, then the book's failed…” quote by David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ec1/david-foster-wallace-161_book_there-is-an-ending-to-infinite-jest-as-f_3084860.jpg)
![“[The entire text of Infinite Jest.]” quote by David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1f5/david-foster-wallace-161_infinite_the-entire-text-of-infinite-jest-2415929_2415929.jpg)
