# This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

8 Hacker News commenters recommended This Is Water by David Foster Wallace and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend this short commencement speech as a highly regarded, influential and still relevant guide to how they see everyday life.

## Why people recommend it

- Highly recommended and influential (2 comments): "If you've not read or heard this commencement address from David Foster Wallace highly recommended" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49844916)) "one of the two most influential books I've read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46520271))
- Shapes everyday perception and reactions (2 comments): "It's become a positive reflex for me, one that safes me from a rush of aggression" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47543373)) "something I've held dear to me as my default perception of life" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46560334))
- Relevant to modern life (2 comments): "“this is water” and some of his other essays are even more so in this regard" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49595878)) "David Foster Wallace's This is Water speech more relevant than ever." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858521))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Programming as Theory Building by Peter Naur](https://hackerapproved.com/p/programming-as-theory-building.md): 32 recommend
- [Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ur-fascism.md): 18 recommend
- [Politics and the English Language by George Orwell](https://hackerapproved.com/p/politics-and-the-english-language.md): 14 recommend
- [Right to Read by Richard Stallman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/right-to-read.md): 12 recommend
- [Meditations on Moloch by Scott Alexander](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations-on-moloch.md): 11 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316068225?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780316068222) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "This Is Water by David Foster Wallace", https://hackerapproved.com/p/this-is-water/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).