Who really said it
Infinite Jest (1996)
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
For presentations
Verified quote & credit
“That loneliness is not a function of solitude” — David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest (1996), narration in the Ennet House observations; checked in a digital transcription.
Can you use it?
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In context
Evoking the world of David Foster Wallace — 1962–2008. Theme: "That loneliness is not a function of solitude". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
That loneliness is not a function of solitude. Short excerpt
How we verified this
Only a short excerpt is reproduced; identification and commentary do not grant permission to reuse the complete work.
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Context
Infinite Jest juxtaposes a tennis academy with a substance-recovery halfway house. The sentence belongs to a long list of observations about living with other people, attention, pain and recovery. Its point is the distinction between being physically alone and feeling lonely, expressed inside the novel’s narrative rather than as a clinical definition.
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Complete digital transcription contains the exact sentence in the Ennet House list; third-party mirror, not a first-edition page image.
Transcribes the sentence within the Ennet House observations in Infinite Jest.
Confirms publication in 1996, the two main institutional settings, and Wallace’s education and writing career.
Documents his dates, novels, essays and teaching; biographical context only.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Infinite Jest. 1996.
Quotle.info. Who really said 'That loneliness is not a function of solitude'? Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/that-loneliness-is-not-a-function-of-solitude/