--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a younger man, Trout would have…" description: "\"“As a younger man, Trout would have sneered at the sign about brotherhood—posted on the rim of a bomb crater, as anyone could see. But his head no long..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_as-a-younger-man-trout-would-have-sneere_1409611.jpg" --- # As a younger man, Trout would have sneered at the sign… ![“As a younger man, Trout would have sneered at the sign about brotherhood—posted on the rim of a bomb crater, as anyone could see. But his head no longer sheltered ideas of how things could be and should be on the planet, as opposed to how they really were. There was only one way for the Earth to…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_as-a-younger-man-trout-would-have-sneere_1409611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_as-a-younger-man-trout-would-have-sneere_1409611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/kurt-vonnegut-41_quote_as-a-younger-man-trout-would-have-sneere_1409611.jpg) > ““As a younger man, Trout would have sneered at the sign about brotherhood—posted on the rim of a bomb crater, as anyone could see. But his head no longer sheltered ideas of how things could be and should be on the planet, as opposed to how they really were. There was only one way for the Earth to be, he thought: the way it was.”” [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. The character abandons idealistic visions, accepting the world as it is rather than how it could be. **In simple terms:** He stops dreaming of a better world. Key Takeaway Recognize the tension between idealism and realism. Themes philosophy disillusionment human nature Mood thoughtful melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - political activism - environmental advocacy - personal ambition Key Concepts existentialism acceptance Questions to Reflect On - Do you think accepting reality hinders progress? - How can we balance hope with pragmatism? A Different Perspective Idealism can inspire change despite realism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [It is a very good quality in a man to have a trout-stream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-a-very-good-quality-in-a-man-to-have-a-trout-stream/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“As an old, old man, Trout would be asked by Dr. Thor Lembrig, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, if he feared the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/as-an-old-old-man-trout-would-be-asked-by-dr-thor-lembrig-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not,” said the driver. “I won’t know myself until I find out whether life is serious or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-can-t-tell-if-you-re-serious-or-not-said-the-driver-i-won-t-know/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I won’t know myself until I find out whether life is serious or not,” said Trout. “It’s dangerous, I know, and it can hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-won-t-know-myself-until-i-find-out-whether-life-is-serious-or-not/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Trout was petrified there on Forty-second Street. It had given him a life not worth living, but I had also given him an iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/trout-was-petrified-there-on-forty-second-street-it-had-given-him-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Trout sat back and thought about the conversation. He shaped it into a story, which he never got around to writing until he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/trout-sat-back-and-thought-about-the-conversation-he-shaped-it-into-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“In Trout's novel, The Pan-Galactic Memory Bank, the hero is on a space ship two hundred miles long and sixty-two miles in diameter. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/in-trout-s-novel-the-pan-galactic-memory-bank-the-hero-is-on-a-space/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [There was a message written in pencil on the tiles by the roller towel. This was it: What is the purpose of life? Trout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-was-a-message-written-in-pencil-on-the-tiles-by-the-roller/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Trout, incidentally, had written a book about a money tree. It had twenty-dollar bills for leaves. Its flowers were government bonds. Its fruit was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/trout-incidentally-had-written-a-book-about-a-money-tree-it-had/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Here was what Kilgore Trout cried out to me in my father's voice: "Make me young, make me young, make me young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/here-was-what-kilgore-trout-cried-out-to-me-in-my-father-s-voice-make/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/kilgore-trout-once-wrote-a-short-story-which-was-a-dialogue-between/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“He told Trout about people he'd heard of in the area who grabbed live copperheads and rattlesnakes during church services, to show how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/he-told-trout-about-people-he-d-heard-of-in-the-area-who-grabbed-live/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It shook up Trout to realize that even he could bring evil into the world — in the form of bad ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-shook-up-trout-to-realize-that-even-he-could-bring-evil-into-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Trout's leading robot looked like a human being, and could talk and dance and so on, and go out with girls. And nobody held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/trout-s-leading-robot-looked-like-a-human-being-and-could-talk-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“—Yo tampoco lo sabré hasta averiguar si la vida bromea o no —dijo Trout—. Es peligrosa, y puede doler mucho. Pero eso no significa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/yo-tampoco-lo-sabr-hasta-averiguar-si-la-vida-bromea-o-no-dijo-trout/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## 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 Trout quotes > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [“The trout is still with me, as are my memories. The future is somewhere between these two forces, but it lives in mystery. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-rice/the-trout-is-still-with-me-as-are-my-memories-the-future-is-somewhere/) [Daniel J. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-rice/) > [What's his offense? Groping for trout in a peculiar river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-s-his-offense-groping-for-trout-in-a-peculiar-river/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [It is utterly soothing to fly fish for trout. All other considerations or worries drift away and you couldn't keep them close if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/it-is-utterly-soothing-to-fly-fish-for-trout-all-other-considerations/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [“Trout-coloured water breaking over rocks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-bingham/trout-coloured-water-breaking-over-rocks/) [Harry Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-bingham/) > [A Gustave Courbet portrait of a trout has more death in it than Rubens could get in a whole Crucifixion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/a-gustave-courbet-portrait-of-a-trout-has-more-death-in-it-than/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [Customers must be delicately angled for at a safe distance - show yourself too much, and, like trout, they flashed away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-augusta-ward/customers-must-be-delicately-angled-for-at-a-safe-distance-show/) [Mary Augusta Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-augusta-ward/) > [“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not,” said the driver. “I won’t know myself until I find out whether life is serious or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-can-t-tell-if-you-re-serious-or-not-said-the-driver-i-won-t-know/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A trout fisherman is something that defieth understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-ford/a-trout-fisherman-is-something-that-defieth-understanding/) [Corey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-ford/) > [“Peace out, rainbow trout.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-williams/peace-out-rainbow-trout/) [Conrad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-williams/) > [I grew up fly fishing when I was a kid. The feeling of it is fun. I went fly-fishing on Lake Delaware once, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-grew-up-fly-fishing-when-i-was-a-kid-the-feeling-of-it-is-fun-i/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [Love is a myth.' 'Love is a myth,' Grandfather Trout said. 'Like summer.' 'What?' 'In winter,'Grandfather Trout said, 'summer is a myth. A report,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/love-is-a-myth-love-is-a-myth-grandfather-trout-said-like-summer-what/) [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) > [Yeah, I was in a band called Trout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-reeves/yeah-i-was-in-a-band-called-trout/) [Vic Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-reeves/) > [I go fishing not to find myself but to lose myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-monninger/i-go-fishing-not-to-find-myself-but-to-lose-myself/) [Joseph Monninger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-monninger/) > [If I could do it over, I'd want to come up to the big leagues like Mike Trout. He's exciting and I like watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kemp/if-i-could-do-it-over-i-d-want-to-come-up-to-the-big-leagues-like/) [Matt Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kemp/) Browse all 193 Trout quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a younger man, Trout would have sneered at the sign about brotherhood—posted on the rim of a bomb crater, as anyone could see. But his head no longer sheltered ideas of how things could be and should be on the planet, as opposed to how they really were. 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