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Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut Quotes

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Famous Kurt Vonnegut Quotes

“In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in his cosmic loneliness. And God said, "Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done." And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close to mud as man sat, looked around, and spoke. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely. "Everything must have a purpose?" asked God. "Certainly," said man. "Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God. And He went away.”

ThinkingMenSaidDoneEarthPurposeSpeakLonelinessCreaturesSatSpokesCosmicMudCradleLiving CreaturesCats CradleBokonon
Author:Kurt Vonnegut
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“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”

WayLifeWritingBeautifulFaithCreativityCreativeWingsInventionFearlessDevelopingBad AssJumpingCliffsCreative IdeasIdeas And CreativityInspire CreativityJumping OffJumping InJumping Off A Cliff
Book:If This Isn't Nice What Is? (Much) Expanded Second Edition: The Graduation Speeches and Other Words to Live By
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“That's the point. Every kind of animal thinks its own kind of animal is wonderful. So people getting married think they're wonderful, and that they're going to have a baby-- that's wonderful, when actually they're as ugly as rhinoceroses. Just because we think we're so wonderful doesn't mean we really are. We could be really terrible animals and just never admit it because it would hurt so much.”

PeopleThinkingKindMeanHurtAnimalWonderfulBabyTerribleMarriedUglyGetting MarriedHurt So Much
Book:Hocus Pocus
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“Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne.”

TwoStoriesPurposePiecesDialoguePurpose Of LifeShort StorySugarChampagneDiscussingGuessingTroutYeastBreakfast Of Champions
Book:Breakfast of champions: or, Goodbye blue Monday!
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“If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don't have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. 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 possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

IfsWayWantWritingHumansWellsArtSoulMatterStoriesHeavenGrowsParentCan DoHurtCreativityCreativeGayRewardsSakeRadioEnormousYour SoulNervesCreative ProcessShowersBearable
Author:Kurt Vonnegut
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“He was talking about the sign that said 'THE COMPLICATED FUTILITY OF IGNORANCE.' 'All knew was that I didn't want my daughter or anybody's child to see a message that negative every time she comes into the library,' he said. 'And then I found out it was you who was responsible for it.' 'What's so negative about it?' I said. 'What could be a more negative word than "futility"?' he said. '"Ignorance,"' I said.”

WantChildrenSaidFoundTalkingIgnoranceMessagesDaughterNegativeResponsibleLibraryComplicatedMy DaughterFutilityNegative Words
Book:Hocus Pocus
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