Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was an American author who gave the world 50 years of amazing words. Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction. Although Vonnegut has shared years and years worth of life advice, here are ten times he hit it spot on.
1." Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. "
2. " So it goes. "
Three words Vonnegut uses throughout his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five which remain notable not for the wording as much as the emotion - and dismissal of emotion. The three words which show a small sign of acceptance, as well as dismissal. Vonnegut was able to pack a way of life into three words, telling the world that things happen but it's also okay .. we deal with it because we have to.
3." We must be careful about what we pretend to be. "
In Vonnegut's novel Mother Night, the iconic line " We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be " was written. Many interpretations are able to be made about this line but when it comes down to it really relates to the "be careful what you wish for" quote one grows up hearing.
"Sure, it sounds harmless enough when you're five years old and pretending to be an astronaut, but when you start pretending to be a Nazi propagandist...needless to say things could get a little dicey."
4." All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental. "
5." That is my principal objection to life, I think: It's too easy, when alive, to make perfectly horrible mistakes. "
6." If you can do no good, at least do no harm. "
7." I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center. "
Take risks. Try new things. Do something you normally wouldn't do because that could be your new favorite thing in life. You'll never know until you try.
8."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 possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. "
9." We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down. "
10." 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 do not care about them. You are not alone."
Vonnegut's last novel, Timequake, asks the questions - "Why bother?". Many times people will believe that the few people around them are the only ones out there .. but there are so many people in the world that in fact could be feeling the same way. Don't be down on yourself about a certain feeling you may be experiencing, you aren't alone.
