This Is Water

This Is Water originated as a commencement speech delivered by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College in 2005. The speech was later published as an essay and expanded into a book-length work by Little, Brown and Company in 2009. The text represents Wallace's single public address about his life philosophy and outlook. Time magazine recognized it as one of the most significant commencement speeches in history, despite Wallace's initial reluctance to deliver it due to his anxiety about public speaking. Wallace crafted the speech to distill essential truths about adult life, consciousness, and the challenge of remaining aware in modern society. He aimed to communicate core principles without the narrative complexity typical of his fiction work. The book examines how individuals can maintain perspective and empathy amid daily routines, offering insights about choice, awareness, and the real meaning of education in contemporary life.

Most readers appreciate Wallace's core message about mindfulness and choosing how to think, but many feel the $15 price for what was originally a free speech is excessive. The tiny book contains just 144 words per page. Readers highlight the practical wisdom about dealing with daily frustrations, adult life's mundane challenges, and breaking out of self-centered thinking patterns. Many note that the message resonates more deeply after multiple readings. Common criticisms focus on the book's formatting and presentation rather than content. Numerous reviews call it "a cash grab" that stretches a 20-minute speech into a book through creative typography and spacing. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (45,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (1,200+ ratings) "Life-changing perspective on adult life" - Goodreads reviewer "Should have remained a free speech online" - Amazon reviewer "Worth reading but borrow it from the library" - Reddit comment

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The Art of Living by Sharon Lebell, Epictetus A collection of writings that explore the concept of shifting perspective to navigate life's inherent challenges.

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The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus An exploration of life's apparent meaninglessness and the human search for purpose in an indifferent universe.

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton A philosophical investigation into modern society's relationship with success, failure, and the drive for social status.

🎓 The original speech was delivered in 2005 to Kenyon College graduates, but wasn't published as a book until 2009, after Wallace's death. 📚 The book's title comes from a parable about two young fish who don't realize they're swimming in water - a metaphor for our blindness to life's most obvious realities. ✍️ David Foster Wallace wrote the 22-minute commencement address in response to the common criticism that liberal arts education had no practical value in real life. 💫 The speech gained massive popularity after Wallace's passing, with the YouTube video garnering millions of views and becoming one of the most shared commencement addresses ever. 🎯 The published version includes carefully chosen typography and layout design to emphasize key passages, with some pages containing just a single sentence for maximum impact.