--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true thoughts that go on inside us…" description: "\"“The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of, at m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg" --- # The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast… ![“The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of, at most, one tiny little part of us at any given instant.” quote by David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg) > ““The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of, at most, one tiny little part of us at any given instant.”” [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. Our inner mental life is so rapid and complex that language can only capture tiny fragments at a time. **In simple terms:** Thoughts are too fast for words. Key Takeaway Accept the limits of language. Themes cognition language complexity Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy - mindfulness - academic discussion Key Concepts neuroscience philosophy literature Questions to Reflect On - How do you express ideas that feel too big for language? - What tools can help capture fleeting thoughts? A Different Perspective Words cannot fully convey the richness of consciousness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ## Related quotes > [What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/what-goes-on-inside-is-just-too-fast-and-huge-and-all-interconnected/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I hold it true that thoughts are things Endowed with bodies, breath, and wings, And that we send them forth to fill The world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/i-hold-it-true-that-thoughts-are-things-endowed-with-bodies-breath/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs. 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It’s got all my thoughts inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-polansky/i-am-i-like-my-skull-it-s-got-all-my-thoughts-inside/) [Daniel Polansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-polansky/) > [“White sheets in front of me, So many thoughts inside me. My pen is shut, My hands stuck. Struggling to keep inside, Fighting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehreem-rahat/white-sheets-in-front-of-me-so-many-thoughts-inside-me-my-pen-is-shut/) Tehreem Rahat > [I have so many thoughts inside me that I want to say but I'm not sure hot to say them. So I just keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-so-many-thoughts-inside-me-that-i-want-to-say-but-i-m-not-sure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As a writer, I play with words all day long. 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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 Thoughts quotes > [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“He who is mindless is defenceless” RjS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/he-who-is-mindless-is-defenceless-rjs/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/if-i-held-all-the-thoughts-of-the-world-in-my-hand-i-would-be-careful/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [I keep my thoughts to myself, and I think that's one of the best ways to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-jackson/i-keep-my-thoughts-to-myself-and-i-think-that-s-one-of-the-best-ways/) [Tito Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-jackson/) > [“Whenever we think, we construct a world that is centred upon the object of our thinking; whenever we act, we reconstruct a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/whenever-we-think-we-construct-a-world-that-is-centred-upon-the/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [Fill your minds with thoughts that will make you smile each time you remember them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/fill-your-minds-with-thoughts-that-will-make-you-smile-each-time-you/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [All that we are is the result of what we have thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-we-are-is-the-result-of-what-we-have-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. 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Don't be an automaton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cash-penney/determine-to-do-some-thinking-for-yourself-don-t-live-entirely-upon/) [James Cash Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cash-penney/) [Browse all 4,325 Thoughts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of, at most, one tiny little part of us at any given instant.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Foster Wallace" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-are-just-too-fast-and-huge-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thoughts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-are-just-too-fast-and-huge-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/david-foster-wallace-161_philosophy-of-mind_the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-a_1296272.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The true thoughts that go on inside us are just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do…” — 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 true thoughts that go on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-are-just-too-fast-and-huge-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-true-thoughts-that-go-on-inside-us-are-just-too-fast-and-huge-and/#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 } } ] } ```