Kurt Vonnegut Quotes That Will Save Your Broken Heart

Kurt Vonnegut had a way of speaking the truth — sometimes bitter, often funny, and always humane. His lines can prick open a bruised heart, steady you with plain-spoken wisdom, or give you permission to laugh when you most need it. Use these quotes when you need comfort, clarity, or courage: read them in the quiet after a breakup, pin one to your mirror for daily encouragement, or share them with someone who needs to know they aren’t alone.

Motivational quotes

• "We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "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." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." — Kurt Vonnegut

Inspirational quotes

• "And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" — Kurt Vonnegut
• "So it goes." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "Science is magic that works." — Kurt Vonnegut

Life wisdom quotes

• "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "We are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." — Kurt Vonnegut

Healing & love quotes (for a broken heart)

• "There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "We are here to help each other through this thing, whatever it is." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "And I urge you to please notice when you are happy..." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "If you can do no good, at least don't do any harm." — Kurt Vonnegut

Happiness & joy quotes

• "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "And I urge you to please notice when you are happy..." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "So it goes." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "The only proof he needed for the existence of God was music." — Kurt Vonnegut

Daily inspiration quotes

• "To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over." — Kurt Vonnegut
• "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion." — Kurt Vonnegut

Conclusion Quotes are small, concentrated doses of perspective — portable, repeatable, and powerful. A single line from Vonnegut can reframe your pain, coax a grin where there was a frown, or give you the courage to keep walking forward. Keep these phrases close; read them aloud, write them down, and let them steady you on hard days until your own voice grows kinder and braver.