--- title: Essays – Church Life Journal | David Foster Wallace description: David Foster Wallace | --- Search [![churchlife](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hubfs/Churchlife_Aug2016_Theme/Images/church-life-journal-white-horizontal-1.png)](http://churchlife.nd.edu/) - [Essays](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays) - [Articles](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/articles) - [Blog](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/blog-post) - [Contributors](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contributors/) All posts filed under: ESSAYS [![](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Volpe-article-image-1.jpg)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/04/25/the-virtue-of-tenderness-david-foster-wallace-and-the-practice-of-love) ## [The Virtue of Tenderness: David Foster Wallace and the Practice of Love](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/04/25/the-virtue-of-tenderness-david-foster-wallace-and-the-practice-of-love) Published by [Medi Ann Volpe](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/author/medi-ann-volpe) In 2005 David Foster Wallace gave the commencement address at Kenyon College. The speech, which has acquired the title “[This is Water,](http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf)” still makes the rounds on the Internet regularly.[\[1\]](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/david-foster-wallace#_edn1) When I first heard it, blaring from my computer while I was giving my daughters a bath, I was struck by how compelling it is, and how close Wallace comes to telling the graduating class of 2005 that to flourish ... Share - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [April 25, 2016](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/2016/04/25/the-virtue-of-tenderness-david-foster-wallace-and-the-practice-of-love) [Essays](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/essays) / [Culture](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/culture) / [mediannvolpe](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/mediannvolpe) / [tenderness](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/tenderness) / [David Foster Wallace](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/david-foster-wallace) / [idolatry](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/idolatry) / [Pope Francis](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/pope-francis) / [This is Water](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/this-is-water) / [worship](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/worship) ### Share [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Essays%20%E2%80%93%20Church%20Life%20Journal%20%7C%20David%20Foster%20Wallace) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fmcgrathblog.nd.edu%2Fcategory%2Fessays%2Ftopic%2Fdavid-foster-wallace%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Categories - [Essays (36)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/essays) - [Culture (17)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/culture) - [Theology (10)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/theology) - [Practice (9)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/practice) - [Archive (8)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/archive) - [Pope Francis (8)](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/category/essays/topic/pope-francis) ![Institute for Church Life](https://mcgrathblog.nd.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Churchlife_Aug2016_Theme/Images/icl-lockup-01.png?width=318&name=icl-lockup-01.png "Institute for Church Life") ### About the ICL The Institute for Church Life animates the University of Notre Dame’s direct service to the Church through outreach in theological education, research, faith formation, and leadership development. ### Church Life Journal - [About](http://churchlife.nd.edu/about/) - [Archives](http://churchlife.nd.edu/archives/) - [Contact](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contact/) - [Contributors](http://churchlife.nd.edu/contributors/) - [Journal Submission Guidelines](http://churchlife.nd.edu/journal-submission/) ### Follow Us - - - Copyright © 2016 University of Notre Dame | Institute for Church Life