This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life

I miss him terribly. Our loss is profound. His parents and wife’s loss beyond imagination. A tiny book of hope for graduates from a man whose mind was quick and deep. Read it than get a little older and read again.❤️

This speech is amazing. It's so sad that DFW couldn't bear life, because he definitely explains both why he could not but also how to actually live it. I could've read much more.

I honestly do not even know where to begin in describing this book. Fosters concise insights into the human condition are a revelation. I've purchased this book several times as a gift for friends, family, and co-workers because of my belief in the usefulness of this book. That's a funny way to describe a book isn't it? Useful. Certainly books can expand the mind and offer new ways of thinking about things, but often the enlightenment they offer is not practical. Plato's Republic is bound to give you plenty to think about and illuminate your understanding the human condition, but how can you truly put those lessons to use in the modern era? This is Water is a guide to life. Foster offers scenarios we are all familiar with and our reactions to them. He then proposes an alternate approach to these mundane activities that can relieve the stress and tension they so often create. My two takeaways from this book would be mindfulness and humility. Mindfulness in understanding that you are not alone in how you feel and that unknown circumstances you could sympathize with may be at factor in your interaction with others. Humility in that you do not know everything and that you are not the center of the universe. The ideas in This is Water are bound to be so obvious that you might dismiss it altogether, but that's the point. Foster explains how often it's the things right in front of us that we take for granted and the solution is putting that understanding in the forefront of our thoughts more often. William S. Burroughs famously said "The job of the artist is to show you what you already know." And in my opinion Foster satisfies that function.

I used this speech in the consciousness & well-being course I'm taking at my university, the entire class loved the ideas and they were right in line with the curriculum and ideologies of healthy living. This book is a nice little reminder to slow down, create some space, and look at life with fresh and optimistic eyes. :) I will admit though, that the layout of the book could have been done in a more meaningful way. But regardless, it makes you pause on each note of this beautiful melody of wisdom.

This audiobook explains simple truths of life in a unique way. I felt really connected to the message. It makes you stop and think about how we live every day. It’s short, but really powerful. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

This is water, this is life , is about all of us and what to do and not do is all up to all humanity

A quick reminder of the powerful thoughts and words of DFW. A quick read with some nice takeaways. A good kick in the butt to remember that we have choices when it comes to how we treat the people and situations around us.

Short, succinct but pierces the heart. This may be a tiny book but loaded with T-Truth. My favourite takeaways from it: "The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day." "Your education really is the job of a lifetime, and it commences — now."

Se lee en 15 minutos pero te deja pensando durante días y aprendes que la forma de pensar la eliges tú.

Read it. It is really inspirational, it has very much in common with what I read about Sikhism. Read it.

I really enjoyed this book. I'll keep it on the shelf forever.

It’s quite wonderful but it isn’t a book. It’s a short commencement speech. Nonetheless, if everyone around were to read it and actually understand it, the world would undoubtedly be a better place.

Simple, powerful and life-changing. What a compassionate approach, and what a great civilisation we would be if we were successful at David's suggestion.