---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hate, in the long run, is about as…"
description: "\"Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.\" — Kurt Vonnegut"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg"
---

#  Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.

![“Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg)

> “Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.”

[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.

Hatred ultimately harms the hater as much as poison, eroding well‑being over time.

**In simple terms:** Hatred is self‑destructive.

Key Takeaway

Let go of hatred.

Themes

psychology morality well‑being

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- conflict resolution
- mental health therapy

Key Concepts

toxicity emotional health human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- Can hatred ever be justified?
- How does forgiveness benefit the self?

A Different Perspective

Some argue hatred can motivate social change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cyanide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyanide/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-long-241319/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-run/) [Long runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-runs/) [Nourishing Cyanide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourishing-cyanide-5505582/) [Run Nourishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run-nourishing-5505583/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/)

## Related quotes

> [Your false promise, your burning dreams, your heartless wishes, i hate at all, as long as I live, as long as I live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak/your-false-promise-your-burning-dreams-your-heartless-wishes-i-hate/)

[Deepak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak/)

> [Let them hate me, so long as they fear me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caligula/let-them-hate-me-so-long-as-they-fear-me/)

[Caligula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caligula/)

> [“Don’t hate for long; it isn’t worth it. It isn’t worth it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleve-jones/don-t-hate-for-long-it-isn-t-worth-it-it-isn-t-worth-it/)

[Cleve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleve-jones/)

> [Like me or hate me?As long as you don't touch me.Because I'll cut you off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-me-or-hate-me-as-long-as-you-don-t-touch-me-because-i-ll-cut-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Let them Hate as long as they Fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forever-evil/let-them-hate-as-long-as-they-fear/)

[Forever Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forever-evil/)

> [I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-hate-the-gooks-i-will-hate-them-as-long-as-i-live/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [Let people hate you so long as they fear you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-accius/let-people-hate-you-so-long-as-they-fear-you/)

[Lucius Accius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-accius/)

> [I can't hate for long. It isn't worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-can-t-hate-for-long-it-isn-t-worth-it/)

[William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/)

> [“Let the hate so long as they fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caligula/let-the-hate-so-long-as-they-fear/)

[Caligula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caligula/)

> [“A man will fight for hate for a long time, but he will fight for love to the death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-chambers/a-man-will-fight-for-hate-for-a-long-time-but-he-will-fight-for-love/)

[Joanna Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-chambers/)

> [“Let them hate, so long as they fear. Caligula”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-carella/let-them-hate-so-long-as-they-fear-caligula/)

[C.J. Carella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-carella/)

> [One does not hate so long as one continues to rate low, but only when one has come to rate equal or higher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-does-not-hate-so-long-as-one-continues-to-rate-low-but-only-when/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Let them hate so long as they fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-accius/let-them-hate-so-long-as-they-fear/)

[Lucius Accius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-accius/)

> [But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/but-i-too-hate-long-books-the-better-the-worse-if-they-re-bad-they/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [I hate long pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-potter/i-hate-long-pants/)

[Grace Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-potter/)

## 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 Cyanide quotes

> [You've got to stop letting women slip drugs into your mouth, Dex, it's unhygienic. And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [This unrequited love, to me it's nothing but a one-man cult/And cyanide in my styrofoam cup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-ocean/this-unrequited-love-to-me-it-s-nothing-but-a-one-man-cult-and/)

[Frank Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-ocean/)

> [“Cyanide. On ice with a twist of lime. Or water. But I’m not budging on the lime.” Lyon, Jennifer (2013-02-22). The Proposition (The Plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lyon/cyanide-on-ice-with-a-twist-of-lime-or-water-but-i-m-not-budging-on/)

[Jennifer Lyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lyon/)

> [Potassium cyanide," says the talent wrangler as she leans over to pick up a paper napkin off the floor. "Found naturally in the cassava…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/potassium-cyanide-says-the-talent-wrangler-as-she-leans-over-to-pick/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [A comprehensive education is a well-stocked pharmacy: but we have no assurance that potassium cyanide will not be administered fora head cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-comprehensive-education-is-a-well-stocked-pharmacy-but-we-have-no/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Religion is not merely the opium of the masses, it's the cyanide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-not-merely-the-opium-of-the-masses-it-s-the-cyanide/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [He looked haggard and careworn, like a Borgia who has suddenly remembered that he has forgotten to shove cyanide in the consommé, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-looked-haggard-and-careworn-like-a-borgia-who-has-suddenly/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Did I mention I've finally decided on a nickname for you?" "I didn't know you were looking." Well, I've given the matter some serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/did-i-mention-i-ve-finally-decided-on-a-nickname-for-you-i-didn-t/)

[Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/)

> [“If the young man ate candy, the wrangler says, that's probably what's kept him alive so long. Glucose is a natural antidote to cyanide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-the-young-man-ate-candy-the-wrangler-says-that-s-probably-what-s/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [Hey ugly folks, go get some cyanide and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/hey-ugly-folks-go-get-some-cyanide-and-die/)

[Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/)

> [“Kila sumu ina kiuasumu chake. Viuasumu vya 'cyanide' ni 'amyl nitrite', 'sodium nitrite', 'cyanokit', na 'sodium thiosulfate'. Kazi ya viuasumu hivi ni kuzalisha madini…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/kila-sumu-ina-kiuasumu-chake-viuasumu-vya-cyanide-ni-amyl-nitrite/)

[Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/)

> [There is bound to be someone driven mad by love who will give you the chance to study the effects of gold cyanide on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/there-is-bound-to-be-someone-driven-mad-by-love-who-will-give-you-the/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Would you like your cyanide as it is, or by some other name?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/would-you-like-your-cyanide-as-it-is-or-by-some-other-name/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Hungarian Language — savage it may be but of a beauty that has nothing human about it, with sonorities of another universe, powerful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/hungarian-language-savage-it-may-be-but-of-a-beauty-that-has-nothing/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

[Browse all 26 Cyanide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyanide/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Vonnegut"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourishing-as-cyanide/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cyanide"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourishing-as-cyanide/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df8/kurt-vonnegut-41_cyanide_hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourish_2313700.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Hate, in the long run, is about as nourishing as cyanide.” — Kurt Vonnegut",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kurt Vonnegut",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Hate, in the long run, is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourishing-as-cyanide/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/hate-in-the-long-run-is-about-as-nourishing-as-cyanide/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
