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This Is Water by David Foster Wallace Full Speech

Joe Mita · talk · Watch on YouTube

Productivity & self-improvementPhilosophy & ethics

What it is

David Foster Wallace's 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College, about the default settings of the mind, choosing what to pay attention to, and what we end up worshipping.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN people point lost, lonely or burned-out readers to it as a short, humane piece of perspective on how to live.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2015, last 2022

What HN commenters said

  1. “I highly recommend a 23 minute investment in David Foster Wallace's”

    A 23-minute speech worth the time for someone feeling lost.

    jimwhite, 2020-06 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: I implemented the life I designed: perfect but I feel lost. What now?”

  2. “I’d highly recommend you give it a sincere listen”

    Recommended to a lonely, struggling developer as perspective.

    coip, 2022-05 · Strong recommendation · in “Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer”

  3. “Nobody has mentioned”

    Commencement speech by David Foster Wallace.

    _Microft, 2018-11 · Recommendation · in “A Brand New Interview with David Foster Wallace”

  4. “If you worship money and things-if they are where you tap real meaning in life-then you will never have enough.”

    Speech about default worship of money, power, and intellect.

    hprotagonist, 2018-12 · Recommendation · in “Why Aren’t Rich People Happy With the Money They Have?”

  5. “is in the famous graduation speech by David Foster Wallace”

    Famous graduation speech expanding on life being what you make of it.

    JeremyNT, 2022-05 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: Thoughts on being “boring””

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: commencement speech, david foster wallace, mindfulness, meaning, philosophy

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