And Lot's wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned into a pillar of salt. So it goes.
Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five
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The quote reflects on the story of Lot’s wife from biblical lore, highlighting her struggle with the command to not look back at the destruction of her home and loved ones. By looking back, she embodies a deeply human response to loss and attachment, demonstrating that curiosity and sorrow can often override obedience. Her transformation into a pillar of salt serves not only as punishment but also as a poignant reminder of the cost of longing for the past.

Kurt Vonnegut, in "Slaughterhouse-Five," uses this moment to illustrate the complexities of human emotion amidst tragedy. He emphasizes that acknowledging one’s humanity, even in defiance of rules, is an essential part of the human experience. The phrase "So it goes" encapsulates the inevitability of life's events, encouraging acceptance of both joy and sorrow as intertwined components of existence.

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Slaughterhouse-Five
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Kurt Vonnegut
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Other quotes in Slaughterhouse-Five

Maniacs in the Fourth Dimension, by Kilgore Trout.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
Maniacs in the Fourth Dimension, by Kilgore Trout.
World War Two had certainly made everyone very tough.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
World War Two had certainly made everyone very tough.
On an average day, 324,000 new babies are born into the world every day. During that same day, 10,000 persons, on an average, will have starved to death or died from malnutrition.' So it goes. 'In addition, 123,000 persons will die for other reasons.' So it goes. 'This leaves a net gain of about 191,000 each day in the world. The Population Reference Bureau predicts that the world's total population will double to 7,000,000,000 before the year 2000.''I suppose they will all want dignity,' I said.'I suppose,' said O'Hare.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
On an average day, 324,000 new babies are born into the world every day. During that same day, 10,000 persons, on an average, will have starved to death or died from malnutrition.' So it goes. 'In addition, 123,000 persons will die for other reasons.' So it goes. 'This leaves a net gain of about 191,000 each day in the world. The Population Reference Bureau predicts that the world's total population will double to 7,000,000,000 before the year 2000.''I suppose they will all want dignity,' I said.'I suppose,' said O'Hare.
No art is possible without a dance with death, he wrote. The
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
No art is possible without a dance with death, he wrote. The
It had to be done, Rumfoord told Billy, speaking of the destruction of Dresden. I know, said Billy. That's war. I know. I'm not complaining. It must have been hell on the ground. It was, said Billy Pilgrim. Pity the men who had to do it. I do. You must have had mixed feelings, there on the ground. It was all right, said Billy. Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
It had to be done, Rumfoord told Billy, speaking of the destruction of Dresden. I know, said Billy. That's war. I know. I'm not complaining. It must have been hell on the ground. It was, said Billy Pilgrim. Pity the men who had to do it. I do. You must have had mixed feelings, there on the ground. It was all right, said Billy. Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does.
Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five
Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?
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Other quotes in humanity

No one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. That's because there isn't any difference. The idea of clones being inferior is a filthy lie.
Nancy Farmer The House of the Scorpion
No one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. That's because there isn't any difference. The idea of clones being inferior is a filthy lie.
Let's tell the truth to people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avaoiding you because, they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: If people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you.
Maya Angelou Letter to My Daughter
Let's tell the truth to people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avaoiding you because, they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: If people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you.
Their manners are more gentle, kind, than of our generation you shall find.
William Shakespeare The Tempest
Their manners are more gentle, kind, than of our generation you shall find.
There is her heart. I've never seen one beating.I had no idea they moved so much. You put your hand on your heart and you picture something pulsing slightly but basically still, like a hand on a desktop tapping Morse code. This things is going wild in there. It's a mixing-machine part, a stoat squirming in its burrow, an alien life form that's just won a Pontiac on The Price Is Right. If you were looking for the home of the human body's animating spirit, I could imagine believing it to be here, for the simple reason that it is the human body's most animated organ.
Mary Roach Stiff: The Curious Lives...
There is her heart. I've never seen one beating.I had no idea they moved so much. You put your hand on your heart and you picture something pulsing slightly but basically still, like a hand on a desktop tapping Morse code. This things is going wild in there. It's a mixing-machine part, a stoat squirming in its burrow, an alien life form that's just won a Pontiac on The Price Is Right. If you were looking for the home of the human body's animating spirit, I could imagine believing it to be here, for the simple reason that it is the human body's most animated organ.
She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could situate herself in human time and history. She missed people. She missed human intrigue, drama and power struggles. She needed her own species, not to talk to, necessarily, but just to be among, as a bystander in a crowd or an anonymous witness.
Ruth Ozeki A Tale for the Time Being
She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could situate herself in human time and history. She missed people. She missed human intrigue, drama and power struggles. She needed her own species, not to talk to, necessarily, but just to be among, as a bystander in a crowd or an anonymous witness.
For God's sake, let us be mennot monkeys minding machinesor sitting with our tails curledwhile the machine amuses us, the radio or film or gramophone.Monkeys with a bland grin on our faces.
D.H. Lawrence Selected Letters
For God's sake, let us be mennot monkeys minding machinesor sitting with our tails curledwhile the machine amuses us, the radio or film or gramophone.Monkeys with a bland grin on our faces.
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Popular quotes

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