Kurt Vonnegut quotes celebrated for his wit, satire, and unapologetic honesty, remains one of the most influential voices in modern American literature. Through novels like Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut delivered powerful messages wrapped in dark humor and imaginative storytelling. His quotes, often deceptively simple, reflect deep insights on life, love, war, art, and humanity. Whether he was reflecting on the absurdity of existence or urging kindness in a chaotic world, Vonnegut’s words resonate with timeless relevance. This collection of Kurt Vonnegut quotes captures his brilliance and reminds us to stay thoughtful, compassionate, and a little irreverent in our daily lives.
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes
-
“So it goes.”
-
“We are what we pretend to be.”
-
“Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.”
-
“Enjoy the little things.”
-
“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration.”
-
“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs.”
-
“Be soft. Don’t let the world make you hard.”
-
“The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest.”
-
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
-
“You are better than you think.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Life
-
“Life happens, whether you want it to or not.”
-
“Unexpected travel suggests the Traveler is ready.”
-
“If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
-
“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something.”
-
“Live by the harmless untruths.”
-
“Time is liquid. One moment is no more important than any other.”
-
“Life is no way to treat an animal.”
-
“The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.”
-
“Just because you’re on Earth doesn’t mean you have to be serious.”
-
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Happiness
-
“If this isn’t nice, what is?”
-
“We are here to fart around. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
-
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
-
“Laughter is a response to frustration, just like tears.”
-
“True terror is to wake up and discover your high school class is running the country.”
-
“A sane person to an insane society must appear insane.”
-
“Make love when you can. It’s good for you.”
-
“We’re here to enjoy ourselves.”
-
“Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts.”
-
“Happiness is an imaginary condition.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Love
-
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
-
“Love is where you find it.”
-
“Love may fail, but courtesy will prevail.”
-
“If somebody says, ‘I love you,’ and you don’t love them back, it’s still love.”
-
“We have to love one another or die.”
-
“There’s only one rule that I know of: God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
-
“Love is simply magic.”
-
“Love is the only thing that changes everything.”
-
“We’re here to be kind and love one another.”
-
“Being a humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes to Practice
-
“Be kind. Practice it daily.”
-
“Pretend to be who you want to be.”
-
“Write a poem tonight. Even if no one reads it.”
-
“Practice being present. If this isn’t nice, what is?”
-
“Read a lot. It’s fuel for your brain.”
-
“Laugh, especially when it’s hard.”
-
“Be soft in a hard world.”
-
“Practice humanity. Don’t expect perfection.”
-
“Practice kindness like it’s your religion.”
-
“Speak honestly, even if it breaks the rules.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes on Writing
-
“Write to please just one person.”
-
“Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.”
-
“Find a subject you care about.”
-
“Use the time of a reader wisely.”
-
“Pity the readers.”
-
“Keep it simple. Avoid fancy words.”
-
“Start as close to the end as possible.”
-
“Be a sadist: make your characters suffer.”
-
“Practice writing like it matters.”
-
“Write what you know will move someone.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Love
-
“Love whoever is around to be loved.”
-
“Love, even when it’s inconvenient.”
-
“Let love be your rebellion.”
-
“The soul needs love like the body needs air.”
-
“Even failed love teaches us.”
-
“To love is to exist loudly.”
-
“Don’t wait for perfect love—give it.”
-
“Love and kindness are never wasted.”
-
“Love is life’s most radical act.”
-
“Choose love, again and again.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes on Education
-
“Don’t confuse education with intelligence.”
-
“Teach the unteachable: kindness.”
-
“Schools should teach how to be kind.”
-
“True learning starts with curiosity.”
-
“Education is nothing without empathy.”
-
“Get a degree, but don’t lose yourself.”
-
“A library is more powerful than a classroom.”
-
“You learn more from failure than success.”
-
“Educate with heart, not just facts.”
-
“Teach children to imagine.”
Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut Quotes
-
“Busy, busy, busy.”
-
“What is sacred to Bokononists? Nothing.”
-
“Live by the foma that make you brave.”
-
“Science is magic that works.”
-
“Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly.”
-
“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something.”
-
“There’s no damn cat, and there’s no damn cradle.”
-
“We do doodly do, what we must, muddly must.”
-
“Truth was the enemy of happiness.”
-
“Nothing in this book is true.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Life
-
“Enjoy the little things.”
-
“We are what we pretend to be.”
-
“So it goes.”
-
“If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
-
“Laughter and tears are both valid.”
-
“Live by the harmless untruths.”
-
“Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.”
-
“We’re here to help each other get through this.”
-
“Life is no way to treat an animal.”
-
“We must be kind.”
Famous Kurt Vonnegut Quotes
-
“So it goes.”
-
“We are what we pretend to be.”
-
“Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.”
-
“If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
-
“And I asked myself about the present: was it the future?”
-
“There’s only one rule: You’ve got to be kind.”
-
“We’re just here to fart around.”
-
“Time is a slippery thing.”
-
“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth.”
-
“I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around.”
Slaughterhouse-Five Quotes
-
“So it goes.”
-
“Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.”
-
“Unstuck in time.”
-
“It is just an illusion we have here on Earth.”
-
“Among the things Billy Pilgrim could not change were the past, the present, and the future.”
-
“All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed.”
-
“Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does.”
-
“He is in a constant state of stage fright.”
-
“I was a prisoner of war.”
-
“So it goes.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Death
-
“So it goes.”
-
“Death is a perfectly ordinary part of life.”
-
“Everything ends, and that’s okay.”
-
“We are here to say goodbye.”
-
“It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another.”
-
“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair.”
-
“Let the dead teach the living.”
-
“There’s no cure for being alive—except death.”
-
“The universe doesn’t care.”
-
“Somebody dies, so it goes.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes “So It Goes”
-
“So it goes.”
-
“He died. So it goes.”
-
“Time passes. So it goes.”
-
“War came again. So it goes.”
-
“Another bombing. So it goes.”
-
“Billy was lonely. So it goes.”
-
“Life is messy. So it goes.”
-
“They cried. So it goes.”
-
“Nothing is fair. So it goes.”
-
“So it goes—always.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Religion
-
“Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith.”
-
“We are here on Earth to fart around, not to worship.”
-
“Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell.”
-
“Just because some of us can read and write doesn’t mean we deserve to conquer others.”
-
“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something.”
-
“God bless the lie that makes us brave.”
-
“I’m a humanist, which means I try to behave decently.”
-
“The truth is, we know so little about life, we don’t really know what the good news is.”
-
“We are created in God’s image? Then God must be nuts.”
-
“Bokononism teaches us to lie beautifully.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes on Love
-
“Love whoever is around to be loved.”
-
“Love may fail, but courtesy will prevail.”
-
“A little love goes a long way.”
-
“The purpose of life is to love.”
-
“Be soft, love hard.”
-
“Love is the only war worth fighting.”
-
“Make love when you can.”
-
“Even failed love teaches something.”
-
“Choose love again and again.”
-
“We’re all here to be loved.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quote – “I Want to Stand”
-
“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.”
-
“Only at the edge can you find your true self.”
-
“Be brave—stand at the edge.”
-
“Comfort is a cage. The edge is freedom.”
-
“The edge holds the unknown, and that’s where I want to be.”
-
“I want to stand close to the edge, to see what’s next.”
-
“Push yourself to the brink—there lies discovery.”
-
“Safety never made a story.”
-
“Only the bold look over the edge.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes About Art
-
“To practice any art… is a way to make your soul grow.”
-
“Make art and don’t worry if it’s any good.”
-
“Write a poem. Dance. Sing. Do it anyway.”
-
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable.”
-
“Art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.”
-
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
-
“Art is an act of love.”
-
“Express yourself. That’s the point of being alive.”
-
“Even a bad drawing is better than no drawing.”
-
“Creating is essential to being.”
Kurt Vonnegut Quotes – Be Soft
-
“Be soft. Don’t let the world make you hard.”
-
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
-
“Be tender. It’s powerful.”
-
“Don’t lose your sense of wonder.”
-
“Stay gentle in a harsh world.”
-
“Keep your softness—it’s strength.”
-
“Kindness is never wasted.”
-
“Be gentle, even when you’re hurting.”
-
“It takes courage to stay soft.”
-
“The world needs your softness.”
Conclusion
Kurt Vonnegut’s quotes offer more than clever turns of phrase—they challenge us to think, feel, and live more authentically. His reflections on life, death, love, and society are laced with humor, compassion, and a fierce understanding of human flaws. Vonnegut encourages us to question norms, embrace creativity, and above all, to be kind. In a world that often feels senseless, his wisdom remains a comforting and provocative guide. As we revisit his words, we’re reminded that literature can be both mirror and map—showing us who we are and where we might go, with honesty and heart. So it goes.