Portrait of Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five

Modern influential 116 sayings

Sayings by Kurt Vonnegut

All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that you will be living in eternity.

1969 — Slaughterhouse-Five
Wisdom Unverifiable

I think I am a man without a country, except that I have a country, and it's full of people who are as crazy as I am.

2005 — A Man Without a Country
Wisdom Unverifiable

People say, 'What is the most important thing for a writer?' I say, 'Don't be boring.'

Various — Interview
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
Wisdom Unverifiable

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.

N/A (Mother Teresa quote) — Often attributed to Mother Teresa, but sometimes mistakenly to Vonnegut due to his humanitarian them…
Wisdom Unverifiable

It was a mistake, said the cow. It was a mistake, said the cow. It was a mistake, said the cow.

1973 — Breakfast of Champions (recurring phrase)
Wisdom Unverifiable

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 Mafia.

1959 — The Sirens of Titan
Inspirational Unverifiable

I've got a lot of trouble with sanity. It's a constant struggle.

Unknown — Attributed, but specific source is elusive. Shares a similar sentiment with Thompson, sometimes conf…
Wisdom Unverifiable

The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable.

2005 — A Man Without a Country
Power & Leadership Confirmed

We are all victims of the things we don't understand.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
Wisdom Unverifiable

People have to talk about something, and it's better to talk about nothing than to talk about something that's important.

1963 — Cat's Cradle
Wisdom Unverifiable

To be alive is to be a work of art.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

You ask me if I think I'm a genius? I think I'm a human being, and I'm doing the best I can.

Various — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

The worst thing that can happen to an artist is to get what he wants.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.

Unknown — Often attributed to Thompson, but similar sentiment can be found in Vonnegut's anti-establishment vi…
Educational Unverifiable

I've often thought that the best thing to do with a human being is to put him in a box and feed him through a slot.

1952 — Player Piano
Wisdom Unverifiable

I still believe that it is a holy thing to be a writer.

Various — Interview
Biblical Unverifiable

There are plenty of good reasons for fighting, but no good reasons ever to hate.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
War & Conflict Unverifiable

We are all prisoners of our own minds.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive. A common philosophical idea.
Justice & Rights Unverifiable

I don't know what it is about humanity, but we're always trying to make things worse for ourselves.

Unknown — Attributed, but exact source is elusive.
Wisdom Unverifiable
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