--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All the great story lines are great…" description: "\"All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/kurt-vonnegut-41_fall_all-the-great-story-lines-are-great-prac_1317133.jpg" --- # All the great story lines are great practical jokes that… ![“All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/kurt-vonnegut-41_fall_all-the-great-story-lines-are-great-prac_1317133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/kurt-vonnegut-41_fall_all-the-great-story-lines-are-great-prac_1317133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/kurt-vonnegut-41_fall_all-the-great-story-lines-are-great-prac_1317133.jpg) > “All the great story lines are great practical jokes that people fall for over and over again.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great narratives are often elaborate tricks that repeatedly deceive audiences. **In simple terms:** Stories can be deceptive. Key Takeaway Question the motives behind narratives. Themes storytelling deception culture Mood skeptical ironic Type literary critical When to use this quote - political propaganda - advertising - entertainment Key Concepts Narrative theory media criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we enjoy being fooled? - What makes a story compelling? A Different Perspective Stories also convey truth and meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practical joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical-joke/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-little-black-marks-on-sheets-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Penn & Teller stopped doing practical jokes, and the reason is we got much too good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/penn-teller-stopped-doing-practical-jokes-and-the-reason-is-we-got/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I'm terrible at practical jokes. I do them too well, so they're not funny. I end up saying, “Oh, no, I'm joking, I'm joking .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/i-m-terrible-at-practical-jokes-i-do-them-too-well-so-they-re-not/) [Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/) > [“Practical jokes are a demonstration that the distinction between seriousness and play is not a law of nature but a social convention which can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/practical-jokes-are-a-demonstration-that-the-distinction-between/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“I didn't play practical jokes at home. I had a strict upbringing, which is part of my rebellion. I was raised Catholic and went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-didn-t-play-practical-jokes-at-home-i-had-a-strict-upbringing-which/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [I love practical jokes and humor. That there's frankly no joke that I don't think is funny. I love practical jokes, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-love-practical-jokes-and-humor-that-there-s-frankly-no-joke-that-i/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [When grown-up persons indulge in practical jokes, the fact gauges them. They have lived narrow, obscure, and ignorant lives, and at full manhood they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-grown-up-persons-indulge-in-practical-jokes-the-fact-gauges-them/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Most practical jokes, I'll feel too bad for the other person so I'll stop just before the punchline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/most-practical-jokes-i-ll-feel-too-bad-for-the-other-person-so-i-ll/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [Happy April 1st everyone! May your day be filled with obnoxious practical jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-april-1st-everyone-may-your-day-be-filled-with-obnoxious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-trouble-with-practical-jokes-is-that-very-often-they-get-elected/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-s-hard-to-enjoy-practical-jokes-when-your-whole-life-feels-like-one/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When you have a couple hundred people in one huge space, that's gonna lead to jokes and it's a breeding ground for practical jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-have-a-couple-hundred-people-in-one-huge-space-that-s-gonna/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My father, the practical joker, did not care for practical jokes on himself; he did not encourage the practice in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/my-father-the-practical-joker-did-not-care-for-practical-jokes-on/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [“He had a curiously stunted sense of humor and loved practical jokes that veered dangerously close to cruelty. Once on a hot day he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/he-had-a-curiously-stunted-sense-of-humor-and-loved-practical-jokes/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I think I have a reputation for being really serious. In interviews I use big words, but I'm just an emotional goofball. I play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/i-think-i-have-a-reputation-for-being-really-serious-in-interviews-i/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. 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