Bible Quote by Kurt Vonnegut
““I looked through the Gideon Bible in my motel room for tales of great destruction. The sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot entered into Zo-ar, I read. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. So it goes. Those were vile people in both those cities, as is well known. The World was better off without them. 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 to a pillar of salt. So it goes.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public reading, date unknown, location unspecified
The narrator reflects on biblical destruction, noting humanity’s fascination with catastrophe and the moral judgment that the world is better without the wicked, while empathizing with Lot’s wife’s human curiosity.
In simple terms: People are drawn to stories of ruin and judge them, yet still feel compassion for those who act humanly.
Key Takeaway
Recognize both judgment and empathy in moral stories.
Themes
morality
human nature
judgment
empathy
mythology
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
literary
analytical
When to use this quote
- The lectures
- personal introspection
- literary analysis
- religious study
Key Concepts
Biblical narrative
human curiosity
ethical reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- What does our fascination with destruction reveal about us?
- How can we balance judgment with compassion?
A Different Perspective
The view that the world is better off without certain people can ignore systemic causes of suffering.
![“Thomas Jefferson High School [..] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on the subject of human liberty.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/73a/kurt-vonnegut-41_freedom_thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-sc_9727.jpg)
