“There was a sentence in your letter that struck me, “I wish I were far away from everything, I am the cause of all, and bring only sorrow to everybody, I alone have brought all this misery on myself and others.” These words struck me because that same feeling, just the same, not more nor less, is also on my conscience.”
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The Starry Night
Famous Last Words #1 “I must go in, the fog is rising.” – Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Famous Last Words #2
"The Sadness Will Last Forever."
- Vincent Van Gogh
Theo arrived in Auvers before Vincent Van Gogh died.; Theo was with Van Gogh until the very end. Theo recorded the events of the death in a letter to their sister Elizabeth; in the letter, Theo said that Vincent Van Goghs last words were “The Sadness Will Last Forever” (“La tristesse durera Toujours”).
"The Sadness Will Last Forever."
- Vincent Van Gogh
Theo arrived in Auvers before Vincent Van Gogh died.; Theo was with Van Gogh until the very end. Theo recorded the events of the death in a letter to their sister Elizabeth; in the letter, Theo said that Vincent Van Goghs last words were “The Sadness Will Last Forever” (“La tristesse durera Toujours”).
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Kurt Vonnegut (American novelist)
_________
Born : November 11, 1922
Died : April 11, 2007
_________
American writer noted for his wryly satirical novels who frequently used postmodern techniques as well as elements of fantasy and science fiction to highlight the horrors and ironies of 20th-century civilization. Much of Vonnegut’s work is marked by an essentially fatalistic worldview that nonetheless embraces modern humanist beliefs.
While Vonnegut remained prolific throughout the 1980s, he struggled with depression and in 1984 attempted suicide. Vonnegut was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973. In 2010 the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library opened in Indianapolis. In addition to promoting the work of Vonnegut, the nonprofit organization served as a cultural and educational resource centre, including a museum, an art gallery, and a reading room.
_________
Born : November 11, 1922
Died : April 11, 2007
_________
American writer noted for his wryly satirical novels who frequently used postmodern techniques as well as elements of fantasy and science fiction to highlight the horrors and ironies of 20th-century civilization. Much of Vonnegut’s work is marked by an essentially fatalistic worldview that nonetheless embraces modern humanist beliefs.
While Vonnegut remained prolific throughout the 1980s, he struggled with depression and in 1984 attempted suicide. Vonnegut was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1973. In 2010 the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library opened in Indianapolis. In addition to promoting the work of Vonnegut, the nonprofit organization served as a cultural and educational resource centre, including a museum, an art gallery, and a reading room.
"Why me? That’s a very Earthling question to ask...why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber? Yes. Well here we are...trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why."
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“I want to stay 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.”
"Nobody will stop you from creating. Do it tonight. Do it tomorrow. That is the way to make your soul grow... The kick of creation is the act of creating, not anything that happens afterward. I would tell all of you watching this screen: Before you go to bed, write a four line poem. Make it as good as you can. Don’t show it to anybody. Put it where nobody will find it. And you will discover that you have your reward."
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“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
― Mother Night
― Mother Night
“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.”
― A Man Without a Country
― A Man Without a Country
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
― The Sirens of Titan
― The Sirens of Titan
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“And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep.”
― Slaughterhouse-Five
― Slaughterhouse-Five
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“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”
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“Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.”
“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.”
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“One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.”
“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”
― Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage
― Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage
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“Do you realize that all great literature is all about what a bummer it is to be a human being? Isn't it such a relief to have somebody say that?”
― A Man Without a Country
― A Man Without a Country
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“If somebody says 'I love you' to me, I feel as though I had a pistol pointed at my head. What can anybody reply under such conditions but that which the pistol holder requires? 'I love you, too'.”
― Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
― Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
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“You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food.”
― Jailbird
― Jailbird
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“Wake up, you idiots! Whatever made you think that money was so valuable?”
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