“Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person.”
―
―
“David Foster Wallace: What writers have is a license and also the freedom to sit—to sit, clench their fists, and make themselves be excruciatingly aware of the stuff that we’re mostly aware of only on a certain level. And that if the writer does his job right, what he basically does is remind the reader of how smart the reader is. Is to wake the reader up to stuff that the reader’s been aware of all the time. And it’s not a question of the writer having more capacity than the average person. It’s that the writer is willing I think to cut off, cut himself off from certain stuff, and develop…and just, and think really hard. Which not everybody has the luxury to do.”
― Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace
― Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
―
―
“You know, the whole thing about perfectionism. The perfectionism is very dangerous. Because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything. Because doing anything results in...it's actually kind of tragic because you sacrifice how gorgeous and perfect it is in your head for what it really is. And there were a couple of years where I really struggled with that.”
―
―
“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”
― The Metamorphosis
― The Metamorphosis
Jansen’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Jansen’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Jansen hasn't connected with their friends on Goodreads, yet.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Jansen
Lists liked by Jansen


