--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but…" description: "\"“Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but he was extravagantly costumed in a uniform of his own design. He wore a white ten-gallon hat and black cowbo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_cowboy_campbell-was-an-ordinary-looking-man-but_1570850.jpg" --- # Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but he was… ![“Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but he was extravagantly costumed in a uniform of his own design. He wore a white ten-gallon hat and black cowboy boots decorated with swastikas and stars. He was sheathed in a blue body stocking which had yellow stripes running from his armpits to his ankles…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_cowboy_campbell-was-an-ordinary-looking-man-but_1570850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_cowboy_campbell-was-an-ordinary-looking-man-but_1570850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c4/kurt-vonnegut-jr-2355_cowboy_campbell-was-an-ordinary-looking-man-but_1570850.jpg) > ““Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but he was extravagantly costumed in a uniform of his own design. He wore a white ten-gallon hat and black cowboy boots decorated with swastikas and stars. He was sheathed in a blue body stocking which had yellow stripes running from his armpits to his ankles. His shoulder patch was a silhouette of Abraham Lincoln’s profile on a field of pale green. He had a broad armband which was red, with a blue swastika in a circle of white.”” [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid description of a bizarre, self‑styled uniform that mixes American symbols with provocative imagery, highlighting absurdity and critique of identity. **In simple terms:** A strange costume mixes patriotic symbols with shocking designs. Key Takeaway Question how symbols can be twisted to provoke. Themes absurdity identity politics Mood provocative critical reflective Type commentary satire When to use this quote - costume design - political protest - artistic expression - theatrical performance Key Concepts symbolism irony cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What does the uniform say about American myth? - How does absurdity reveal truth? A Different Perspective The shock value may distract from deeper critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cowboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowboy/) [Swastika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swastika/) ## Related quotes > [“Tonight the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come marched in goose-step and raised a hand to salute "Heil Hitler!" Tonight the ghost wore a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodie-thoene/tonight-the-ghost-of-christmas-yet-to-come-marched-in-goose-step-and/) [Bodie Thoene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodie-thoene/) > [Kiddies, Graphic Design, if you wield it effectively, is Power. Power to transmit ideas that change everything. Power that can destroy an entire race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/kiddies-graphic-design-if-you-wield-it-effectively-is-power-power-to/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) > [“Think of the future, she whispers. Jumbled images in primary colours. White and red swastika flags waving in the wind; gleaming rockets flying into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavie-tidhar/think-of-the-future-she-whispers-jumbled-images-in-primary-colours/) [Lavie Tidhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavie-tidhar/) > [It's a loser's emblem (swastika), because the Nazis lost the war. It's ridiculous to suggest we are involved with fascists. All my best friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-a-loser-s-emblem-swastika-because-the-nazis-lost-the-war-it-s/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [“Vichwa vitatu vya sururu na chembe tatu za bunduki za Kalashnikov; na alama ya bahati, mafanikio, udhalimu na mwanzo mpya ya msalaba wa swastika,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/vichwa-vitatu-vya-sururu-na-chembe-tatu-za-bunduki-za-kalashnikov-na/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [I have a swastika tattoo on my arm, but it's just because I like right-hand turns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-dunnigan/i-have-a-swastika-tattoo-on-my-arm-but-it-s-just-because-i-like-right/) [Kyle Dunnigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-dunnigan/) > [“Party or NSDAP. The shortened version of the name was the Nazi Party. Hitler had designed their banner, which consisted of a swastika in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hourly-history/party-or-nsdap-the-shortened-version-of-the-name-was-the-nazi-party/) Hourly History > [“It means that when organized philosophies like the Illuminati go out of existence, their symbols remain… available for adoption by other groups. It’s called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/it-means-that-when-organized-philosophies-like-the-illuminati-go-out/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“1. Mein Kampf does not contain the word "Nazi." 2. Mein Kampf does not contain the term “Third Reich.” 3. Mein Kampf does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/1-mein-kampf-does-not-contain-the-word-nazi-2-mein-kampf-does-not/) Micky Barnetti > [Black conservatives have a right to exist, but why would I want to walk around with a swastika on my shirt after the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/black-conservatives-have-a-right-to-exist-but-why-would-i-want-to/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“The need has to be defined by an Individual. If the basic need of quenching thirst can be met by a glass of water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-chaturvedi/the-need-has-to-be-defined-by-an-individual-if-the-basic-need-of/) Ajay Chaturvedi > [When she faced the noise, she found the mayor’s wife in a brand-new bathrobe and slippers. 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The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/there-is-room-enough-for-an-awful-lot-of-people-to-be-right-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“He often said he had to be a writer because he wasn't good at anything else. He was not good at being an employee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/he-often-said-he-had-to-be-a-writer-because-he-wasn-t-good-at/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“The zero in the telephone number he pronounced "naught." The number was: "2 B R 0 2 B.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/the-zero-in-the-telephone-number-he-pronounced-naught-the-number-was/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Jones wasn’t completely crazy. The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/jones-wasn-t-completely-crazy-the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“I have never seen a more sublime demonstration of the totalitarian mind, a mind which might be likened unto a system of gears whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/i-have-never-seen-a-more-sublime-demonstration-of-the-totalitarian/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No respecter of evidence has ever found the least clue as to what life is all about, and what people should do with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-respecter-of-evidence-has-ever-found-the-least-clue-as-to-what/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Life is nothing but high school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/life-is-nothing-but-high-school/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“And Halyard suddenly realized that, just as religion and government had been split into disparate entities centuries before, now, thanks to the machines, politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/and-halyard-suddenly-realized-that-just-as-religion-and-government/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“For once, after the great bloodbath of the war, the world really was cleared of unnatural terrors—mass starvation, mass imprisonment, mass torture, mass murder.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/for-once-after-the-great-bloodbath-of-the-war-the-world-really-was/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Him! Him! Captain Eliot Rosewater–Silver Star, Bronze Star, Soldier's Medal, and Purple Heart with Cluster! Sailing champion! Ski champion! Him! Him! My God–the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/him-him-captain-eliot-rosewater-silver-star-bronze-star-soldier-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No art is possible without a dance with death, he wrote. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-art-is-possible-without-a-dance-with-death-he-wrote-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“No trouble. There really isn’t a heck of a lot to the job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-trouble-there-really-isn-t-a-heck-of-a-lot-to-the-job/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) [Explore all 164 Kurt Vonnegut Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) ## More Abraham lincoln quotes > [“If Abraham Lincoln were alive now, he'd roll over in his grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-ford/if-abraham-lincoln-were-alive-now-he-d-roll-over-in-his-grave/) [Gerald Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-ford/) > [Remember that Abraham Lincoln was a Whig far longer than he was a Republican. As a whole, the Whigs looked upon banks and corporations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-c-guelzo/remember-that-abraham-lincoln-was-a-whig-far-longer-than-he-was-a/) [Allen C. Guelzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-c-guelzo/) > [“Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/whatever-you-are-be-a-good-one-abraham-lincoln/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/what-is-to-be-will-be-and-no-prayers-of-ours-can-arrest-the-decree/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“If you attend a meeting of evolutionary biologists somewhere in America, you might be lucky and spot a tall, gray-whiskered, smiling man bearing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/if-you-attend-a-meeting-of-evolutionary-biologists-somewhere-in/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [Men like Abraham Lincoln recognized that if the slaveholders were not stopped, it would only be a question of time until they spread their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/men-like-abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-if-the-slaveholders-were-not/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [“Most people,” Abraham Lincoln said, “are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lickona/most-people-abraham-lincoln-said-are-about-as-happy-as-they-make-up/) [Thomas Lickona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lickona/) > [Abraham Lincoln did not contend that his actions were immune from Congressional correction; on the contrary, he specifically said he was acting beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/abraham-lincoln-did-not-contend-that-his-actions-were-immune-from/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [I grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Harden County, which is not too far from the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/i-grew-up-in-elizabethtown-kentucky-harden-county-which-is-not-too/) [Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/) > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [My movies more often are told through pictures, not words. But in this case, the pictures took second position to the incredible words of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/my-movies-more-often-are-told-through-pictures-not-words-but-in-this/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I must have missed school the day we learned about Abraham Lincoln being a vampire slayer...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-must-have-missed-school-the-day-we-learned-about-abraham-lincoln/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-we-could-not-survive-as-a-free-land/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) Browse all 238 Abraham lincoln quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Campbell was an ordinary-looking man, but he was extravagantly costumed in a uniform of his own design. 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