--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Historians in the future, in my opinion…" description: "\"Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our jazz.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg" --- # Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate… ![“Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our jazz.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg) > “Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our jazz.” [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. Future historians may view our era as trivial, emphasizing entertainment over substance. **In simple terms:** Future may see us as frivolous. Key Takeaway Consider the lasting impact of cultural values. Themes culture legacy history entertainment Mood cynical thoughtful critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - academic analysis - media consumption - societal values Key Concepts cultural criticism historical perspective Questions to Reflect On - What lasting contributions might be overlooked? - How can we balance fun with meaning? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook serious achievements of the time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clowning/) [Clowning Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clowning-jazz-2336275/) [Congratulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congratulate/) [Congratulate Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congratulate-little-2336276/) [Historian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historian/) [Historians Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians-future-1224650/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Congratulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-congratulate-2336274/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To have people come up to me and congratulate me and little kids telling me I'm their 'idol,' it's all great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-vucevic/to-have-people-come-up-to-me-and-congratulate-me-and-little-kids/) [Nikola Vucevic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-vucevic/) > [Comedians and jazz musicians have been more comforting and enlightening to me than preachers or politicians or philosophers or poets or painters or novelists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/comedians-and-jazz-musicians-have-been-more-comforting-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Good historians...have the future in their bones”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hallett-carr/good-historians-have-the-future-in-their-bones/) [Edward Hallett Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hallett-carr/) > [“We are reverting to the civilization of luggage, and historians of the future will note how the middle classes accreted possessions without taking root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/we-are-reverting-to-the-civilization-of-luggage-and-historians-of-the/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [Social historians of the future no doubt will be amused by the fact that we late-twentieth-century Americans found it acceptable to discuss publicly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-glendon/social-historians-of-the-future-no-doubt-will-be-amused-by-the-fact/) [Mary Ann Glendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-glendon/) > [It has become too easy to see that the luckless men of the past lived by mistakes, even absurd beliefs, so we may well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-j-muller/it-has-become-too-easy-to-see-that-the-luckless-men-of-the-past-lived/) [Herbert J. Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-j-muller/) > [A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/a-clown-is-like-aspirin-only-he-works-twice-as-fast/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [I do love situational comedy, clowning, and slapstick; I approach that with a lot of respect. The goofier you are, it doesn't mean you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-camil/i-do-love-situational-comedy-clowning-and-slapstick-i-approach-that/) [Jaime Camil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-camil/) > [I started getting on my feet and clowning around, and they ended up putting me in a play when I was 12. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-started-getting-on-my-feet-and-clowning-around-and-they-ended-up/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [I went to Paris for a year in 1986 to study theatre; there was a lot of clowning around, buffoonery and fencing. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-went-to-paris-for-a-year-in-1986-to-study-theatre-there-was-a-lot/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [I was always one who was clowning around in school and getting in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boreanaz/i-was-always-one-who-was-clowning-around-in-school-and-getting-in/) [David Boreanaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boreanaz/) > [It's possible that the clowning and the buffoonery and the entertainment are a bigger part of what's happening than we've allowed. And that Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/it-s-possible-that-the-clowning-and-the-buffoonery-and-the/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) > [In all honesty, I never actually did anything wrong (in my eyes, at least) at school or misbehaved in any big way. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-mcilroy/in-all-honesty-i-never-actually-did-anything-wrong-in-my-eyes-at/) [Rory McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-mcilroy/) > [I've taken clowns into the war in Bosnia, the refugee camps of Kosovo, and none of those are any more important than clowning in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patch-adams/i-ve-taken-clowns-into-the-war-in-bosnia-the-refugee-camps-of-kosovo/) [Patch Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patch-adams/) > [If the guy in the Hanes commercial was clowning my 'bacon neck' to Michael Jordan right in front of me, we'd have problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-griffin/if-the-guy-in-the-hanes-commercial-was-clowning-my-bacon-neck-to/) [Blake Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-griffin/) ## 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 Clowning quotes > [If the guy in the Hanes commercial was clowning my 'bacon neck' to Michael Jordan right in front of me, we'd have problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-griffin/if-the-guy-in-the-hanes-commercial-was-clowning-my-bacon-neck-to/) [Blake Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-griffin/) > [I've taken clowns into the war in Bosnia, the refugee camps of Kosovo, and none of those are any more important than clowning in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patch-adams/i-ve-taken-clowns-into-the-war-in-bosnia-the-refugee-camps-of-kosovo/) [Patch Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patch-adams/) > [It's possible that the clowning and the buffoonery and the entertainment are a bigger part of what's happening than we've allowed. And that Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/it-s-possible-that-the-clowning-and-the-buffoonery-and-the/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) > [I was always one who was clowning around in school and getting in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boreanaz/i-was-always-one-who-was-clowning-around-in-school-and-getting-in/) [David Boreanaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boreanaz/) > [I do love situational comedy, clowning, and slapstick; I approach that with a lot of respect. The goofier you are, it doesn't mean you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-camil/i-do-love-situational-comedy-clowning-and-slapstick-i-approach-that/) [Jaime Camil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-camil/) > [A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/a-clown-is-like-aspirin-only-he-works-twice-as-fast/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [I started getting on my feet and clowning around, and they ended up putting me in a play when I was 12. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-started-getting-on-my-feet-and-clowning-around-and-they-ended-up/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [I went to Paris for a year in 1986 to study theatre; there was a lot of clowning around, buffoonery and fencing. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/i-went-to-paris-for-a-year-in-1986-to-study-theatre-there-was-a-lot/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [In all honesty, I never actually did anything wrong (in my eyes, at least) at school or misbehaved in any big way. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-mcilroy/in-all-honesty-i-never-actually-did-anything-wrong-in-my-eyes-at/) [Rory McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-mcilroy/) > [I am always joking and always clowning, giving and helping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/i-am-always-joking-and-always-clowning-giving-and-helping/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [Casey wanted us to stay loose. That didn't mean clowning around. He just meant we should be confident and relaxed. We shouldn't feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-mantle/casey-wanted-us-to-stay-loose-that-didn-t-mean-clowning-around-he/) [Mickey Mantle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-mantle/) > [“Because it is illegal to talk to a stranger on a train, it can sometimes be confusing when someone stands on your foot or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-wallace/because-it-is-illegal-to-talk-to-a-stranger-on-a-train-it-can/) [Danny Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-wallace/) > [Acting is all about relating to the people on stage with you, even in plays that break the fourth wall. Clowning, for the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/acting-is-all-about-relating-to-the-people-on-stage-with-you-even-in/) [Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/) > [There's an element of clowning and entertainment to Trump, that makes it surreal and hard to understand to what extent he is pretending to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/there-s-an-element-of-clowning-and-entertainment-to-trump-that-makes/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) > [“Of course, they're not clowning around trying to make me laugh. They're doing their best to live very serious lives, and they just happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/of-course-they-re-not-clowning-around-trying-to-make-me-laugh-they-re/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 28 Clowning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clowning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our jazz.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-will-congratulate-us-on-very/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clowning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-will-congratulate-us-on-very/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/kurt-vonnegut-41_clowning_historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-w_1839278.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Historians in the future, in my opinion, will congratulate us on very little other than our clowning and our…” — 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": "Historians in the future, in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-will-congratulate-us-on-very/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/historians-in-the-future-in-my-opinion-will-congratulate-us-on-very/#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 } } ] } ```