Kurt Vonnegut Quotes

A collection of quotes by Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and influential novels. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut joined the U.S. Army during World War II and was captured as a prisoner of war during the Battle of the Bulge. His experiences as a POW heavily influenced his later literary work.

After the war, Vonnegut studied anthropology at the University of Chicago and began his career as a writer. His breakthrough novel, "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1969), brought him widespread acclaim and is considered a classic of American literature. The novel drew upon Vonnegut's personal experiences during the bombing of Dresden, offering a poignant and darkly humorous reflection on the absurdity of war and its destructive consequences.

Vonnegut's novels often featured a blend of science fiction, black humor, and social criticism. Some of his other notable works include "Cat's Cradle" (1963), "Breakfast of Champions" (1973), and "Mother Night" (1961). With his unique blend of wit, compassion, and cynicism, Vonnegut explored profound themes like the human condition, the dangers of technology, and the follies of society.

Throughout his career, Vonnegut received numerous accolades for his literary contributions and became a respected voice in American literature. His writing style, characterized by concise prose and biting social commentary, continues to inspire and resonate with readers worldwide. Vonnegut's impact on contemporary literature is undeniable, making him one of America's most celebrated and influential authors.

This is Sunday, and the question arises, what'll I start tom

This is Sunday, and the question arises, what'll I start tomorrow?

You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do.

You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do.

About astrology and palmistry: They are good because they ma

About astrology and palmistry: They are good because they make people feel vivid and full of possibilities. They are communism at its best. Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm.

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going

I want to stand 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.

I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled S

I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled Science Fiction... and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal.

There is a tragic flaw in our precious constitution, and I d

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.

When I write, I feel like an armless leg less man with a cra

When I write, I feel like an armless leg less man with a crayon in his mouth.

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exh

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't

If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don't need an enemy.

I have this theory about why men kill each other and break t

I have this theory about why men kill each other and break things.... Never mind. It's a dumb theory. I was going to say it was all sexual... but everything is sexual... but alcohol.

Men Mind

This is my principal objection to life, I think: It is too e

This is my principal objection to life, I think: It is too easy, when alive, to make perfectly horrible mistakes.

Life Mistakes

Trust a crowd to look at the wrong end of a miracle every ti

Trust a crowd to look at the wrong end of a miracle every time.

Human Nature

As in my other works of fiction: All persons living and dead

As in my other works of fiction: All persons living and dead are purely coincidental, and should not be construed. No names have been changed in order to protect the innocent. Angels protect the innocent as a matter of Heavenly routine.

Work Order

Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to

Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. 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.

Art

And evolution or God or whatever arranged things genetically

And evolution or God or whatever arranged things genetically, to keep the little families going, to cheer them up, so that they could all have somebody to tell stories around the campfire at night, and somebody else to paint pictures on the walls of caves, and somebody else who wasn't afraid of anything and so on.

God Vonnegut Whatever

We're terrible animals. I think that the Earth's immune syst

We're terrible animals. I think that the Earth's immune system is trying to get rid of us, as well it should.

System

I don't know about you, but I practice a disorganized religi

I don't know about you, but I practice a disorganized religion. I belong to an unholy disorder. We call ourselves Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment.

Religion

Midland City had a goddess of discord all its own. This was

Midland City had a goddess of discord all its own. This was a goddess who could not dance, would not dance, and hated everybody at the high school. She would like to claw away her face, she told us, so that people would stop seeing things in it that had nothing to do with what she was like inside. She was ready to die at any time, she said, because what men and boys thought about her and tried to do to her made her so ashamed. One of the first things she was going to do when she got to heaven, she said, was to ask somebody what was written on her face and why had it been put there.

Beauty Shame Depression Face Goddess Self Concept

There is this thing called the university, and everybody goe

There is this thing called the university, and everybody goes there now. And there are these things called teachers who make students read this book with good ideas or that book with good ideas until that's where we get our ideas. We don't think them; we read them in books.I like Utopian talk, speculation about what our planet should be, anger about what our planet is.I think writers are the most important members of society, not just potentially but actually. Good writers must have and stand by their own ideas.

Interview

This theory argues that artists are useful to society becaus

This theory argues that artists are useful to society because they are so sensitive. They are supersensitive. They keel over like canaries in coal mines filled with poison gas, long before more robust types realize that any danger is there.

Society Danger