Average person Quote by David Lipsky
““David Foster Wallace: What writers have is a license and also the freedom to sit—to sit, clench their fists, and make themselves be excruciatingly aware of the stuff that we’re mostly aware of only on a certain level. And that if the writer does his job right, what he basically does is remind the reader of how smart the reader is. Is to wake the reader up to stuff that the reader’s been aware of all the time. And it’s not a question of the writer having more capacity than the average person. It’s that the writer is willing I think to cut off, cut himself off from certain stuff, and develop…and just, and think really hard. Which not everybody has the luxury to do.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, “David Foster Wallace and the Art of Writing”, 2005
The quote highlights that writers use their craft to sharpen awareness, cutting away distractions to reveal truths the reader already knows but hasn’t fully felt, thereby honoring the reader’s intelligence.
In simple terms: Writers help readers notice what they already know but ignore.
Key Takeaway
Use writing to clarify hidden truths for readers.
Themes
writing
awareness
clarity
intelligence
discipline
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
literary
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- creative writing workshops
- personal essays
- teaching literature
- self‑reflection
- editing
Key Concepts
literary craft
consciousness
self‑discipline
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you practice cutting away mental clutter in your own work?
- What truths do you already know but rarely acknowledge?
A Different Perspective
Not all writers can or will to the intense self‑cutting required, limiting the depth of insight.
![“Books are a social substitute; you read people who, at one level, you'd like to hang out with. [David Foster Wallace]'s writing self--it's most pronounced in his essays--was the best friend you'd ever have, spotting everything, whispering jokes, sweeping you past what was irritating or boring or…” quote by David Lipsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4f4/david-lipsky-30389_best-friend_books-are-a-social-substitute-you-read-p_2172757.jpg)
![“He [David Foster Wallace] compares raising children to raising books, you should take pride in the work you do inside a family and not from how they make out in the world. “It’s good to want a child to do well, but it’s bad to want that glory to reflect back on you,” is what he says.” quote by David Lipsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a4b/david-lipsky-30389_books_he-david-foster-wallace-compares-raising_1575049.jpg)
