28 Marvelous Quotes by Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut (born November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. – died April 11, 2007, New York, New York, U.S.) was an American novelist, satirist, and graphic artist.
He is known for his humanistic point of view and satirical literary style, which combines satire, black comedy, and science fiction.
Vonnegut’s work consists of 14 novels, five plays, five works of non-fiction, and three short story collections. Most popular are Player Piano (1952), Cat’s Cradle (1963), Breakfast of Champions (1973), and his best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).
Vonnegut was a lifelong supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union and New York State Author from 2001-2003.
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion, to the futility of thinking and striving anymore. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.Palm Sunday (1981), (ed. 2006), Chapter 19. In the Capital of the World, Page 298
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.Mother Night (1961), (ed. 1966), Introduction, Page V
We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. Man Without a Country (2005), Chapter 6. I have been called a Luddite, Page 62
The good Earth – we could have saved it, but we were too damn cheap and lazy.A Man Without a Country (2005), Chapter 11. Now then, I have some good news, Page 122
If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind.Player Piano (1952), Chapter 22, Page 198
Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.Cat's Cradle (1963), Chapter 88. Why Frank couldn't be president, Page 140
There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Maffia.The Sirens of Titan (1959), (ed. 1961), Chapter 7. Victory, Page 167
New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.Cat's Cradle (1963), Chapter 18. The Most Valuable Commodity on Earth, Page 30
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There is love enough in this world for everybody, if people will just look.Cat's Cradle (1963), Chapter 7. The Illustrious Hoenikkers, Page 13
If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don’t need an enemy.Letter to Ladies & Gentlemen of A.D. 2088, TIME (1988)
Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.Cat's Cradle (1963), Chapter 124. Frank's Ant Farm, Page 199
One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.Cold Turkey, In These Times (May 10, 2004)
A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.The Sirens of Titan (1959), Epilogue. Reunion with Stony, Page 320
The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.A Man Without a Country (2005), Chapter 3. Here is a lesson in creative writing, Page 24
I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.Player Piano (1952), Chapter 9, Page 73
Human beings will be happier – not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again.Playboy Interview by David Standish (July 1973)
I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it’s a very poor scheme for survival.As quoted in The Observer, London (December 27, 1987)
Any man can call time out, but no man can say how long the time out will be.Cat's Cradle (1963), Chapter 111. Time Out, Page 176
Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that doesn’t mean we deserve to conquer the Universe.Hocus Pocus (1990), Chapter 40, Page 302
All living things were brothers, and all dead things were even more so.The Sirens of Titan (1959), (ed. 1961), Chapter 10. An Age of Miracles, Page 219
I believe that reading and writing are the most nourishing forms of meditation anyone has so far found. By reading the writings of the most interesting minds in history, we meditate with our own minds and theirs as well. This to me is a miracle.Palm Sunday (1981), (ed. 2006), Chapter 7. Playmates, Page 150
No art is possible without a dance with death.Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969), Chapter 1, Page 18
Ideas on Earth were badges of friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with enemies, in order to express enmity.Breakfast of Champions (1973), Chapter 2, Page 28
Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse.A Man Without a Country (2005), Chapter 8. Do you know what a humanist is?, Page 123
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Anybody who has traveled this far on a fool’s errand, has no choice but to uphold the honor of fools by completing the errand.The Sirens of Titan (1959), (ed. 1961), Epilogue. Reunion with Stony, Page 319
There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time.Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969), Chapter 5, Page 76
We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.Breakfast of Champions (1973), Chapter 1, Page 16
Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.A Man Without a Country (2005), Chapter 3. Here is a lesson in creative writing, Page 24