David Foster Wallace addressing the graduating class of Kenyon College in 2005, published by the WSJ.

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. That is real freedom.

Wallace cuts to the heart of modern society in a way that feels both supremely compassionate and just a little cynical.

I was also struck by how applicable much of his insight is to design of all facets. The heart of great design is empathy. Without it, how can you inhabit the mind of a user that’s never seen your product before? How can you communicate to them, on their terms, through the medium of your creation?