Bergeron's epitaph for the planet, I remember, which he said should be carved in big letters in a wall of the Grand Canyon for the flying-saucer people to find, was this: WE COULD HAVE SAVED IT BUT WE WERE TOO DOGGONE CHEAP. Only he didn't say 'doggone."
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in "Hocus Pocus" (1990)
Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile.”
– Kurt Vonnegut in "Mother Night" (1961)
The arts put man at the center of the universe, whether he belongs there or not. Military science, on the other hand, treats man as garbage — and his children, and his cities, too. Military science is probably right about the contemptibility of man in the vastness of the universe. Still — I deny that contemptibility, and I beg you to deny it, through the creation of appreciation of art.”
- Kurt Vonnegut in “Bennington College address” (1970)
Many people need desperately to receive this message: "I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people don't care about them. You are not alone."
Kurt Vonnegut in ”Timequake” (1997)
"You hate America, don't you?" she said.
"That would be as silly as loving it," I said. "It's impossible for me to get emotional about it, because real estate doesn't interest me. It's no doubt a great flaw in my personality, but I can't think in terms of boundaries. Those imaginary lines are as unreal to me as elves and pixies. I can't believe that they mark the end or the beginning of anything of real concern to the human soul. Virtues and vices, pleasures and pains cross boundaries at will."- Kurt Vonnegut in "Mother Night" (1961)
The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers. The people don’t acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, instead."
- Kurt Vonnegut in "In a Manner that Must Shame God Himself"
We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.”
- Kilgore Trout's epitaph in Breakfast of Champions (1973) by Kurt Vonnegut
There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty Himself hates with you, too. Where's evil? It's that large part of every man that wants to hate without limit, that wants to hate with God on its side. It’s that part of every man that finds all kinds of ugliness so attractive."
- Kurt Vonnegut inn "Mother Night" (1961)
One of the great American tragedies is to have participated in a just war. It's been possible for politicians and movie-makers to encourage us we're always good guys. The Second World War absolutely had to be fought. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But we never talk about the people we kill. This is never spoken of."
- Kurt Vonnegut in an interview by Roger Friedman, "God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut" (2002)
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."
- Kurt Vonnegut in Introduction to "Mother Night" (1961)
I am a humanist, which mean, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any expectation of rewards or punishments after I'm dead. My German-American ancestors, the earliest of whom settled in our Middle West about the time of our Civil War, called themselves "Freethinkers," which is the same sort of thing.”
- Kurt Vonnegut in "God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian" (1999)
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.”
- Kurt Vonnegut in "Cold Turkey" (2004)
Ink and paper are as cheap as sand or water, almost. No board of directors has to convene in order to decide whether we can afford to write down this or that. I myself once staged the end of the world on two pieces of paper- at a cost of ...less than a penny, including wear and tear on my typewriter ribbon and the seat of my pants. 'Think of that."
- Kurt Vonnegut in ”Palm Sunday” (1981)
Kurt Vonnegut is in Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vonnegutwriter
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