--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make…" description: "\"“Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make bicycles any more. It’s all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new ways for ever..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/kurt-vonnegut-41_blind-man_christ-back-in-chicago-we-don-t-make-bic_819992.jpg" --- # Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make bicycles any more… ![“Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make bicycles any more. It’s all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new ways for everybody to be happy. Nobody can get fired, no matter what; and if somebody does accidentally make a bicycle, the union accuses us of cruel and inhuman…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/kurt-vonnegut-41_blind-man_christ-back-in-chicago-we-don-t-make-bic_819992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/kurt-vonnegut-41_blind-man_christ-back-in-chicago-we-don-t-make-bic_819992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/kurt-vonnegut-41_blind-man_christ-back-in-chicago-we-don-t-make-bic_819992.jpg) > ““Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make bicycles any more. It’s all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new ways for everybody to be happy. Nobody can get fired, no matter what; and if somebody does accidentally make a bicycle, the union accuses us of cruel and inhuman practices and the government confiscates the bicycle for back taxes and gives it to a blind man in Afghanistan.” “And you think things will be better in San Lorenzo?” “I know damn well they will be. The people down there are poor enough and scared enough and ignorant enough to have some common sense!”” [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. Satirically critiques bureaucratic absurdities and the paradox of progress versus human values. **In simple terms:** Bureaucracy can distort progress. Key Takeaway Question systems, prioritize humanity. Themes bureaucracy satire humanism Mood cynical reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate culture - urban planning Key Concepts social critique absurdism political commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do we keep humanity at the center of innovation? - What safeguards prevent bureaucratic overreach? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) [Bicycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycles/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Human relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relations/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“Christ, back in Chicago, we don't make bicycles any more. It's all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/christ-back-in-chicago-we-don-t-make-bicycles-any-more-it-s-all-human-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [We don't make bicycles anymore. It's all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new ways for everyone to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-don-t-make-bicycles-anymore-it-s-all-human-relations-now-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Paper Girls' in 1900 would be really cool. The girls could ride those old bicycles with the giant front wheel!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-chiang/paper-girls-in-1900-would-be-really-cool-the-girls-could-ride-those/) [Cliff Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-chiang/) > [The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-strong/the-bicycle-is-just-as-good-company-as-most-husbands-and-when-it-gets/) Ann Strong > [I moved from Moscow to Rome with my family and two bicycles in 1998, and spent a lot of that year- and the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/i-moved-from-moscow-to-rome-with-my-family-and-two-bicycles-in-1998/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There's something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye-the-science-guy/bicycling-is-a-big-part-of-the-future-it-has-to-be-there-s-something/) Bill Nye The Science Guy > [“He was surprised to see a rack of bicycles just like the ones they rode to get around the ship. It hadn't occurred to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-hoover/he-was-surprised-to-see-a-rack-of-bicycles-just-like-the-ones-they/) [H. M. Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-hoover/) > [We are a nation that worships speed and power. And for good reason. Without power we would still be part of England and everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-are-a-nation-that-worships-speed-and-power-and-for-good-reason/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When I see a room full of people pedaling away on stationary bikes, I fall into an existential spiral. It's confirmation that all we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-liebegott/when-i-see-a-room-full-of-people-pedaling-away-on-stationary-bikes-i/) [Ali Liebegott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-liebegott/) > [Bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-weir/bicycles-are-almost-as-good-as-guitars-for-meeting-girls/) [Bob Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-weir/) > [I like what I like, I like my bike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ness/i-like-what-i-like-i-like-my-bike/) Al Ness > [Kids ought to have two bicycles, one to ride and one to rent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/kids-ought-to-have-two-bicycles-one-to-ride-and-one-to-rent/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [If constellations had been named in the 20th century, I suppose we would see bicycles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-constellations-had-been-named-in-the-20th-century-i-suppose-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And though history sadly doesn't credit the man who first thought of tilting a bicycle's steering axis, it is more likely to be because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn/and-though-history-sadly-doesn-t-credit-the-man-who-first-thought-of/) Robert Penn > [“children all received their bicycles at Nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/children-all-received-their-bicycles-at-nine-they-were-not-allowed-to/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) ## 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 Bicycle quotes > [I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/i-stand-and-rejoice-every-time-i-see-a-woman-ride-by-on-a-wheel-the/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [At that age, it's one of the worse things in the world to wake up and not see your bike where you left it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/at-that-age-it-s-one-of-the-worse-things-in-the-world-to-wake-up-and/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [I think if I got a bicycle from my father, I should give a car to my son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/i-think-if-i-got-a-bicycle-from-my-father-i-should-give-a-car-to-my/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [Life is like a bicycle; keep moving on to maintain balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-is-like-a-bicycle-keep-moving-on-to-maintain-balance/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It has been explained to me that toys are packaged in shards, to be assembled by the middle-aged and butter-fingered, because this makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/it-has-been-explained-to-me-that-toys-are-packaged-in-shards-to-be/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [I simply want to celebrate the fact that right near your home, year in and year out, a community college is quietly - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/i-simply-want-to-celebrate-the-fact-that-right-near-your-home-year-in/) [Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/) > [Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/let-me-tell-you-what-i-think-of-bicycling-i-think-it-has-done-more-to/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [If we’re going to talk about transport, I would say that the great city is not the one that has highways, but one where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-penalosa/if-we-re-going-to-talk-about-transport-i-would-say-that-the-great/) [Enrique Penalosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-penalosa/) > [Like a fish needs a bicycle. A goldfish riding a bicycle underwater. I need a man like a fish needs a bicycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-dunn/like-a-fish-needs-a-bicycle-a-goldfish-riding-a-bicycle-underwater-i/) Irina Dunn > [Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-riding-a-bicycle-to-keep-your-balance-you-must-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love a bicycle, and I haven't been without at least one since I was three years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/i-love-a-bicycle-and-i-haven-t-been-without-at-least-one-since-i-was/) [James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/) > [ Rose: Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas! The Doctor: Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve? Rose: \[shocked\] What? The Doctor: And everybody… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/rose-look-at-you-beaming-away-like-you-re-father-christmas-the-doctor/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [Life is like riding a bicycle: you don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-pepper/life-is-like-riding-a-bicycle-you-don-t-fall-off-unless-you-stop/) [Claude Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-pepper/) [Browse all 531 Bicycle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Christ, back in Chicago, we don’t make bicycles any more. It’s all human relations now. The eggheads sit around trying to figure out new ways for everybody to be happy. 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