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David Foster Wallace Said I Spoke to Him Like He Was a Dog

David Foster Wallace Said I Spoke to Him Like He Was a Dog

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  • My dad raised me to believe we are what we accomplish, that what matters isn’t who we are, but what we do. He said we’re all paper cups, disposable and replaceable, that the work we contribute to the world is what we hold in our cups, that the work we do is what we’re worth. Dave also told me his value was in his work.
  • I let down my guard under the UCLA stairwell in 2002 and I’ve yet to put it back up. Unlike Dave, who held tightly to the brilliance of his work, I’ve emptied the water from my paper cup over and over again — into my children, my students, my dogs, the earth. What’s wrong with being ordinary? Where’s the shame in being of use?