R.I.P. David Foster Wallace

Recently, I spent approximately 6 months wading through Infinite Jest, the sprawling novel encompassing addiction, commercialization, Canadian terrorism, and ultimately the deadening of the modern soul by David Foster Wallace. Alternating between poignance, humor, and absurdity, it was one of the most frustrating and fascinating books I've ever read.

Wallace was found dead Friday, from an apparent suicide. Beyond the above, I'm not familiar with his work, and certainly have nothing insightful to say that others can't say far better. But in his honor I wanted to post a few of the simple little truths Wallace lists in my favorite passage of Infinite Jest:

"You do not have to like a person to learn from him/her/it."

"Loneliness is not a function of solitude."

"Logical validity is not a guarantee of truth."

"You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how little they do."

"It takes great personal courage to let yourself appear weak."

"It is permissible to want."

Corollary to above: "Perversely, it is often more fun to want something than to have it."

"There is such a thing as raw, unalloyed, agendaless kindness."

"It is simply more pleasant to be happy than to be pissed off."

"There might not be angels, but there are people who might as well be angels."

"No single, individual moment is in and of itself unendurable."

And finally:

"Sometimes, human beings have to just sit in one place and, like, hurt."

(Additional reading here.)