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Kurt Vonnegut Quotes - Page 9

All Quotes Accidents Age Alcohol Apologizing Army Art Atheism Atheist Belief Bitterness Business Chaos Character Chemistry Children Christ Church College Communication Community Compassion Competition Country Creativity Culture Curiosity Dancing Democracy Design Dignity Doubt Dying Earth Evil Evolution Expectations Feelings Fighting Food Forgiveness Frustration Fun Funny Giving God Happiness Hard Work Hate Heart Heaven Hell Hiroshima Home Humanity Hurt Ignorance Imagination Inspirational Jazz Jesus Laughter Life Literature Loneliness Love Luck Lying Making Love Management Maturity Meaning Of Life Military Mountain Music Nature Opportunity Pain Past Philosophy Politics Progress Purpose Reading Reality Religion Revenge Running Safety School Science Science Fiction Shame Sleep Smoking Socialism Son Soul Students Stupidity Style Survival Teaching Technology Time Today Trade Tragedy Train Universe Waiting Wall War Water Wife Work Writing

There's only one me, and I'm stuck with him.

There's only one me, and I'm stuck with him.

Love, Individuality, Greatest Love

It goes against the American storytelling grain to have someone in a situation he can't get out of, but I think this is very usual in life.

Thinking, Usual, Storytelling

Kurt Vonnegut (1988). “Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut”, p.91, Univ. Press of Mississippi

The name of the new religion," said Rumfoord, "is The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent.

Names, Church, Said

Kurt Vonnegut (2007). “The Sirens of Titan”, p.183, Dial Press

We are what we imagine ourselves to be.

Inspirational, Goal, Imagination

She believed, and was entitled to believe, I must say, that all human beings were evil by nature, whether tormentors or victims, or idle standers-by. They could only create meaningless tragedies, she said, since they weren't nearly intelligent enough to accomplish all the good they were meant to do.

Believe, Intelligent, Evil

But by accident, not by cunning calculation, books, because of their weight and texture, and because of their sweetly token resistance to manipulation, involve our hands and eyes, and then our minds and souls, in a spiritual adventure I would be very sorry for my grandchildren not to know about.

Spiritual, Sorry, Book

Mere opinions, in fact, were as likely to govern people's actions as hard evidence, and were subject to sudden reversals as hard evidence could never be.

People, Facts, Action

Kurt Vonnegut (1999). “Galapagos: A Novel”, Dial Press

It appeared to the Elders that the people here would believe anything about themselves, no matter how preposterous, as long as it was flattering. To make sure of this, they performed an experiment. They put the idea into Earthlings' heads that the whole Universe had been created by one big animal who looked just like them. He sat on a throne with a lot of less fancy thrones all around him. When people died they got to sit on those other thrones forever because they were such close relatives of the Creator. The people down here just ate that up!

Believe, Animal, Ideas

Kurt Vonnegut (1997). “Hocus Pocus”, p.141, Penguin

Bill Gates says, 'Wait till you can see what your computer can become.' But it’s you who should be doing the becoming. What you can become is the miracle you were born to work-not the damn fool computer.

Waiting, Miracle, Bills

How subservient to Jesus, or to a humane God Almighty, were the leaders of this country back in the 1840's, when Marx said such a supposedly evil thing about religion? They had made it perfectly legal to own human slaves, and weren't going to led women vote or hold public office, God forbid, for another eighty year.

Country, Jesus, Years

I'm odd, I know,' he said. 'It's fear of myself that's made me odd.

Odd, Made, Said

Her face ... was a one-of-a-kind, a surprising variation on a familiar theme - a variation that made observers think, Yes - that would be another very nice way for people to look. What Beatrice had done with her face, actually, was what any plain girl could do. She overlaid it with dignity, suffering, intelligence, and a piquant dash of bitchiness.

Girl, Nice, Thinking

It was not the thought that I was so unloved that froze me. I had taught myself to do without love. It was not the thought that God was cruel that froze me. I had taught myself never to expect anything from Him. What froze me was the fact that I had absolutely no reason to move in any direction. What had made me move through so many dead and pointless years was curiosity. Now even that had flickered out.

Moving, Years, Curiosity

"Mother Night". Book by Kurt Vonnegut, www.esquire.com. 1961.

She hated people who thought too much. At that moment, she struck me as an appropriate representative for almost all mankind.

People, Too Much, Moments

Kurt Vonnegut (2009). “Cat's Cradle: A Novel”, p.33, Dial Press

And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe but a few molecules who have the disease called 'thought'.

Molecules, Literature, Disease

Kurt Vonnegut (2009). “Bluebeard: A Novel”, p.210, Dial Press

If I was ever to have a child, this is what I'd tell it: 'Child,' I'd say, 'don't never mess with time. Keep now now and then then. And if you ever get lost in thick smoke, child, set still till it clears. Set still till you can see where you are and where you been and where you're going, child.

Children, Now And Then, Lost

Kurt Vonnegut (2008). “Armageddon in Retrospect”, p.59, Penguin

I found me a place where I can do good without doing any harm, and I can see I'm doing good, and them I'm doing good for know I'm doing it, and they love me, Unk, as best they can. I found me a home.

Home, Doing Good, Found

Kurt Vonnegut (2007). “The Sirens of Titan”, p.217, Dial Press

Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.

Crazy, Kids, Fighting

"Cold Turkey" by Kurt Vonnegut, inthesetimes.com. May 10, 2004.

Trout was petrified there on Forty-second Street. It had given him a life not worth living, but I had also given him an iron will to live. This was a common combination on the planet Earth.

Iron Will, Trout, Earth

Kurt Vonnegut (1999). “Breakfast of Champions: Or, Goodbye Blue Monday!”, CNIB, 197

Evolution is a mistake. Humans are a mistake. We've destroyed our planet.

Mistake, Evolution, Planets

What had made me move through so many dead and pointless years was curiosity.

Moving, Years, Curiosity

Kurt Vonnegut (1988). “Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut”, p.153, Univ. Press of Mississippi

The most racist, nastiest act by America, after human slavery, was the bombing of Nagasaki. Not of Hiroshima, which might have had some military significance. But Nagasaki was purely blowing away yellow men, women, and children. I'm glad I'm not a scientist because I'd feel so guilty now.

Children, Military, Men

Source: www.sharedhost.progressive.org

The waitress brought me another drink. She wanted to light my hurricane lamp again. I wouldn't let her. "Can you see anything in the dark, with your sunglasses on?" she asked me. "The big show is inside my head," I said.

Dark, Light, Sunglasses

Kurt Vonnegut (1973). “Breakfast of champions: or, Goodbye blue Monday!”, Dell

The Contessa was surely way ahead of her time, too, in believing that men were not only usless and idiotic, but downright dangerous. That idea wouldn't catch on big in her native country until the last three years of the Vietnam War.

Country, War, Believe

Kurt Vonnegut (1998). “Bluebeard”, Dial Press

All people are insane. They will do anything at any time, and God help anybody who looks for reasons.

People, Insane, Looks

"Mother Night". Book by Kurt Vonnegut, 1961.

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