The quotations of

Kurt Vonnegut

American author

1922–2007

45 quotes, most often on Comedy, Life & Death and Education. Part of the Writers collection.

The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.
Preface (p. xi)
- Health
History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.
Slapstick (1976), Ch. 48
- Education
The worst thing that could happen to anybody, would be to not be used for anything by anybody.
Epilogue “Reunion with Stony” (pp. 310-311)
Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.
Cat’s Cradle (1963), Chapter 124: Frank’s Ant Farm
- Education
Well, the telling of jokes is an art of its own, and it always rises from some emotional threat. The best jokes are dangerous, and dangerous because they are in some way truthful.
Interviewed by J. Rentilly, “The Best Jokes Are Dangerous”, McSweeny’s (September 2002)
- Humor
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, And don’t put up with people that are reckless with yours.
The practice of art isn’t to make a living. It’s to make your soul grow.
- Art
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
Introduction (1966)
Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.
Palm Sunday (1981), The People One Knows
- Anger
- Reading
Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.
Cold Turkey (2004)
- Politics
- Television
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
- Knowledge
There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
Cold Turkey (2004)
- Presidency
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.
- Laughter
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 (2004)
- Television
People have to talk about something just to keep their good voice boxes in working order, so they’ll have good voice boxes in case there’s ever anything really meaningful to say.
Cat’s Cradle (1963), Chapter 76
- Talking

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