---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fun of reading as \"an exchange…"
description: "\"The fun of reading as \"an exchange between consciousnesses, a way for human beings to talk to each other about stuff we can't normally talk about.\"\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg"
---

#  The fun of reading as "an exchange between…

![“The fun of reading as &quot;an exchange between consciousnesses, a way for human beings to talk to each other about stuff we can't normally talk about.&quot;” quote by David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg)

> “The fun of reading as "an exchange between consciousnesses, a way for human beings to talk to each other about stuff we can't normally talk about."”

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

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reading lets minds share ideas that are hard to express directly, creating a silent dialogue across consciousnesses.

**In simple terms:** Reading creates a silent dialogue.

Key Takeaway

Read to connect deeper.

Themes

communication empathy literature

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- online forums
- personal reflection
- teaching literature

Key Concepts

dialogue consciousness shared experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does reading change your view of others?
- What topics become approachable through books?

A Different Perspective

It may not replace real conversation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beings Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-talk-4109575/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Exchange Consciousnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exchange-consciousnesses-4109574/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Fun Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun-reading-220448/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Exchange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-exchange-3440292/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Talk Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-stuff-706757/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“My early and invincible love of reading--I would not exchange for the treasures of India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/my-early-and-invincible-love-of-reading-i-would-not-exchange-for-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [I still can't decide which is more fun - reading or writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/i-still-can-t-decide-which-is-more-fun-reading-or-writing/)

[Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/)

> [Topic of the day:'LOVE' !HV FUN reading the quotes :)!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayma/topic-of-the-day-love-hv-fun-reading-the-quotes/)

[Mayma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayma/)

> [Whitney and I have fun reading the newspaper sometimes. You'd be amazed at the places they say I've been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-brown/whitney-and-i-have-fun-reading-the-newspaper-sometimes-you-d-be/)

[Bobby Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-brown/)

> [The whole point of reading is that the writer is speaking to you, and if you're not listening, you're not going to have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-whole-point-of-reading-is-that-the-writer-is-speaking-to-you-and/)

[Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/)

> [If a reviewer is beating me up, I just say, 'Oh well, my writing is not to his or her taste.' And that's as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/if-a-reviewer-is-beating-me-up-i-just-say-oh-well-my-writing-is-not/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [Reading is a pleasure of the mind, which means that it is a little like a sport: your eagerness and knowledge and quickness count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-cerf/reading-is-a-pleasure-of-the-mind-which-means-that-it-is-a-little/)

[Bennett Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-cerf/)

> [Having so much fun reading/annotating Great Expectations! said no one ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-so-much-fun-reading-annotating-great-expectations-said-no-one/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Hey! Thanks for taking the time to read Trapped in a Video Game: Book Three. I hope you had as much fun reading it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-brady/hey-thanks-for-taking-the-time-to-read-trapped-in-a-video-game-book/)

[Dustin Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-brady/)

> [I wish I could say confidently that pacing remains my weak point, if you could talk about your own stuff without sounding like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/i-wish-i-could-say-confidently-that-pacing-remains-my-weak-point-if/)

[Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/)

> [In general, I think there are some things that require time before you can talk about them. Some stuff that happened over the summer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/negin-farsad/in-general-i-think-there-are-some-things-that-require-time-before-you/)

[Negin Farsad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/negin-farsad/)

> [Any time you talk about your own stuff you sound self-aggrandising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-isaak/any-time-you-talk-about-your-own-stuff-you-sound-self-aggrandising/)

[Chris Isaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-isaak/)

> [You know, men would much rather run away than talk about stuff, and my default setting has always been, 'If you have an argument,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moyer/you-know-men-would-much-rather-run-away-than-talk-about-stuff-and-my/)

[Stephen Moyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moyer/)

> [“Who can talk you through this stuff before you decided to act on it?” “Well,” said the president, “you won’t like the answer, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/who-can-talk-you-through-this-stuff-before-you-decided-to-act-on-it/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [I'm always afraid to talk about stuff because I'm afraid to get ahead of myself or jinx something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-m-always-afraid-to-talk-about-stuff-because-i-m-afraid-to-get-ahead/)

[Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/)

## 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/)

[Explore all 999 David Foster Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

[Dylan Gelulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-gelulla/)

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The fun of reading as \"an exchange between consciousnesses, a way for human beings to talk to each other about stuff we can't normally talk about.\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Foster Wallace"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-between-consciousnesses-a-way-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-between-consciousnesses-a-way-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df6/david-foster-wallace-161_consciousness_the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-betwee_476931.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The fun of reading as \"an exchange between consciousnesses, a way for human beings to talk to each other…” — David Foster Wallace",
                "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": "David Foster Wallace",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The fun of reading as \"an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-between-consciousnesses-a-way-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-fun-of-reading-as-an-exchange-between-consciousnesses-a-way-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
