Painterly bee hovering near a white blossom, pink buds and small green fruit on a leafy branch.

Original artwork, not a still

Forever Overhead

David Foster Wallace

Everything takes time. Bees have to move very fast to stay still.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Wallace notes that nothing happens instantly. Then he offers a neat image: a bee has to keep moving at high speed just to hover in place. Standing still, in other words, often takes surprising effort.

Context reviewed

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