Construct meaning from experience

David Foster Wallace (Photo credit: Steve Rhodes)

A commencement speech that David Foster Wallace gave in 2005 had been making the rounds on the Internet as a short film entitled “This Is Water.” In his speech, the late author discussed how education frees us from the tediousness of day-to-day life:

“Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience.”

Hear Part 1 and Part 2 of Foster Wallace’s speech.

And click here for more great excerpts of commencement speeches.