--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surgeon General's warning ought to read…" description: "\"Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been determined t0 cause cancer, heart disease & rednecks with seniority.\" — Bill Hicks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg" --- # Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been… ![“Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been determined t0 cause cancer, heart disease & rednecks with seniority.” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg) > “Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been determined t0 cause cancer, heart disease & rednecks with seniority.” [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Smoking is linked to serious health issues and social stigma, especially among older generations. **In simple terms:** Smoking causes disease and social contempt. Key Takeaway Quit smoking to protect health and reputation. Themes health social stigma personal responsibility Mood critical reflective Type humorous satirical When to use this quote - personal health decisions - public policy debates - social gatherings Key Concepts public health addiction ageism Questions to Reflect On - How does peer pressure affect health choices? - What steps can reduce smoking in older adults? A Different Perspective Changing habits can be socially and emotionally challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Cause Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-cancer-1011938/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-disease/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Read Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-smoking-2427128/) [Redneck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redneck/) [Seniority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seniority/) [Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking/) [Smoking Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking-determined-5428676/) [Surgeon General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgeon-general-361751/) [Surgeons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgeons/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) [Warning Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning-ought-5428677/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I read smoking is bad, I stopped smoking, I read drinking is bad, I stopped drinking, I read SEX is bad, I stopped Reading!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akbar-cullen/i-read-smoking-is-bad-i-stopped-smoking-i-read-drinking-is-bad-i/) [Akbar Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akbar-cullen/) > [I read Smoking is bad And I don't Smoke ,I read Drinking is bad and I don't Drink , I read Sex is bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valantime/i-read-smoking-is-bad-and-i-don-t-smoke-i-read-drinking-is-bad-and-i/) [Valantime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valantime/) > [I love smoking. I miss it every day of my life. If I found out that it didn't cause cancer, I would go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-love-smoking-i-miss-it-every-day-of-my-life-if-i-found-out-that-it/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [“I can think of no sadder example of our food paradigm than two posters taped to the window of a California IHOP. One is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-leith-gollner/i-can-think-of-no-sadder-example-of-our-food-paradigm-than-two/) [Adam Leith Gollner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-leith-gollner/) > [For example, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Every four minutes someone is diagnosed, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-richardson/for-example-colon-cancer-is-the-second-leading-cause-of-cancer-death/) [Kevin Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-richardson/) > [The attacks on global warming are no different than the attacks the cigarettes companies used to use to say that cigarettes don't cause cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/the-attacks-on-global-warming-are-no-different-than-the-attacks-the/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“Industrial cereal processing produces acrylamide. Acrylamide is a chemical compound that has been known to cause cancer in animals for many years and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-lawrence/industrial-cereal-processing-produces-acrylamide-acrylamide-is-a/) [Felicity Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-lawrence/) > [You show me something that doesn't cause cancer, and I'll show you something that isn't on the market yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-show-me-something-that-doesn-t-cause-cancer-and-i-ll-show-you/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [If you sequence a cancerous tumor, you should be able to tailor the therapy according to the root cause of the cancer. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/if-you-sequence-a-cancerous-tumor-you-should-be-able-to-tailor-the/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [“Now get ready for a paradox: the dose of radiation needed to cause cancer has been measured to be approximately 2500 rem. That’s enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-muller/now-get-ready-for-a-paradox-the-dose-of-radiation-needed-to-cause/) [Richard A. Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-muller/) > [“Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-christofferson/cancer-above-all-other-diseases-has-countless-secondary-causes-but/) [Travis Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-christofferson/) > [“Is it possible that chemical carcinogens, in general, do not cause cancer unless the nutritional conditions are “right”? Is it possible that, for much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-colin-campbell/is-it-possible-that-chemical-carcinogens-in-general-do-not-cause/) [T. Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-colin-campbell/) > [Ionizing radiation may well be the most important single cause of cancer, birth defects and genetic disorders... The stakes for human health are very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gofman/ionizing-radiation-may-well-be-the-most-important-single-cause-of/) [John Gofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gofman/) > [“The absence of cancer in mummies from Egypt and South America86 led one study to propose: ‘In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-noakes/the-absence-of-cancer-in-mummies-from-egypt-and-south-america86-led/) [Tim Noakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-noakes/) > [“Food has become a cause of disease rather than a guardian of health in the modern world. Once regarded as the central pillar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-p-reid/food-has-become-a-cause-of-disease-rather-than-a-guardian-of-health/) [Daniel P. Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-p-reid/) ## More by Bill Hicks > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [not all drugs are good.. some of them are great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/not-all-drugs-are-good-some-of-them-are-great/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD's and burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/if-you-don-t-think-drugs-have-done-good-things-for-us-then-take-all/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I don't do drugs anymore... than, say, the average touring funk band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-don-t-do-drugs-anymore-than-say-the-average-touring-funk-band/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [How many people disapprove of the job the Conservatives are doing? Seventy percent. Of those same people, how many will vote for them again?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/how-many-people-disapprove-of-the-job-the-conservatives-are-doing/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [BTW A 24 week old embryo is not a human being. You're not a human being until you're in my phone book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/btw-a-24-week-old-embryo-is-not-a-human-being-you-re-not-a-human/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Christianity has a built-in defense system: anything that questions a belief, no matter how logical the argument is, is the work of Satan by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/christianity-has-a-built-in-defense-system-anything-that-questions-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I'm just trying to rid the world of all these fevered egos that are tainting our collective unconscious...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-m-just-trying-to-rid-the-world-of-all-these-fevered-egos-that-are/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor – even President, it seemed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-was-told-when-i-grew-up-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-a-fireman-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Good comedy helps people know they're not alone. Great comedy provides an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/good-comedy-helps-people-know-they-re-not-alone-great-comedy-provides/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [People ask me what I think about that woman priest thing. What, a woman priest? Women priests. Great, great. Now there's priests of both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/people-ask-me-what-i-think-about-that-woman-priest-thing-what-a-woman/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Oh sorry, I was taking life seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/oh-sorry-i-was-taking-life-seriously/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I can't watch TV longer than five minutes without praying for nuclear holocaust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-can-t-watch-tv-longer-than-five-minutes-without-praying-for-nuclear/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I'm not really a heavy smoker any more. I only get through two lighters a day now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-m-not-really-a-heavy-smoker-any-more-i-only-get-through-two/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [You watch the news these days? It's unbelievable. You think you just walk out your door, you're immediately gonna be raped by some crack-addicted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/you-watch-the-news-these-days-it-s-unbelievable-you-think-you-just/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) [Explore all 317 Bill Hicks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) [Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/) > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been determined t0 cause cancer, heart disease & rednecks with seniority.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Hicks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read-smoking-has-been-determined/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read-smoking-has-been-determined/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/bill-hicks-970_cancer_surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read_3109979.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Surgeon General's warning ought to read: Smoking has been determined t0 cause cancer, heart disease &…” — Bill Hicks", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Hicks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Surgeon General's warning ought to read:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read-smoking-has-been-determined/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/surgeon-general-s-warning-ought-to-read-smoking-has-been-determined/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```