--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could go on to speak of sanity as…" description: "\"I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with insanity, decency as compared with vandalism, friendship as compared with rabies.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg" --- # I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with… ![“I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with insanity, decency as compared with vandalism, friendship as compared with rabies.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg) > “I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with insanity, decency as compared with vandalism, friendship as compared with rabies.” [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. Contrasting extremes highlights moral and mental boundaries. **In simple terms:** Comparing opposites reveals values. Key Takeaway Use contrast to clarify ethics. Themes ethics mental health relationships Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - debate - teaching - writing - counseling Key Concepts philosophy psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What other pairs illustrate your point? - How do you handle gray areas? A Different Perspective Opposites may oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decency/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Rabies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rabies/) [Sanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity/) [Vandalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vandalism/) ## Related quotes > [“The little girl knew if she bit any member of her family, they would get rabies too, and she died without ever having been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/the-little-girl-knew-if-she-bit-any-member-of-her-family-they-would/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [When I asked my mother where babies came from, she thought I said rabies. She said you get them from being bitten by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/when-i-asked-my-mother-where-babies-came-from-she-thought-i-said/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [This city is dying of rabies. Is the best I can do to wipe random flecks of foam from its lips?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/this-city-is-dying-of-rabies-is-the-best-i-can-do-to-wipe-random/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“The Press, my child,” Bight said, “is the watchdog of civilisation, and the watchdog happens to be – it can’t be helped – in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-press-my-child-bight-said-is-the-watchdog-of-civilisation-and-the/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [The good folks mostly win, courage usually triumphs over fear, the family dog hardly ever contracts rabies: these are things I knew at twenty-five,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-good-folks-mostly-win-courage-usually-triumphs-over-fear-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [ Active conservation \[of gorillas\] involves simply going out into the forest, on foot, day after day after day, attempting to capture poachers, killing-regretfully-poacher dogs,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dian-fossey/active-conservation-of-gorillas-involves-simply-going-out-into-the/) [Dian Fossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dian-fossey/) > [“Generally, when a man is rabidly for one cause, and then is just as rabidly for another cause, it is not because he loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collins/generally-when-a-man-is-rabidly-for-one-cause-and-then-is-just-as/) [Paul Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collins/) > [You don't go out and kick a mad dog. If you have a mad dog with rabies, you take a gun and shoot him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/you-don-t-go-out-and-kick-a-mad-dog-if-you-have-a-mad-dog-with-rabies/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [“He's not real friendly," Sunshine explained as she set up her stand. "I think he has rabies or something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/he-s-not-real-friendly-sunshine-explained-as-she-set-up-her-stand-i/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [True love is hard to find. And once you find it, it probably has rabies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo/true-love-is-hard-to-find-and-once-you-find-it-it-probably-has-rabies/) [JoJo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo/) > [“I'd rather have rabies than be in love." "Why?" "Because at least you can get over rabies with some shots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/i-d-rather-have-rabies-than-be-in-love-why-because-at-least-you-can/) [Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/) > [“At a rear window I hear the heart-rendering cries of my captive kind, plus a lot of yammering from the idiotic dogs, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-nelson-douglas/at-a-rear-window-i-hear-the-heart-rendering-cries-of-my-captive-kind/) [Carole Nelson Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-nelson-douglas/) > [Good practice, everyone," Rusty said at last. "Light on the actual learning, heavy on the emotional catharsis, and thanks to Jared I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/good-practice-everyone-rusty-said-at-last-light-on-the-actual/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [I love England. In fact, they're getting to know me so well at Heathrow Immigration that this time I was able to completely bypass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-love-england-in-fact-they-re-getting-to-know-me-so-well-at-heathrow/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [“Well, she thought, that big old dawg with the hatred in his eyes had killed her after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/well-she-thought-that-big-old-dawg-with-the-hatred-in-his-eyes-had/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) ## 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 Decency quotes > [Come on, that was no foul! It may be a violation of all the basic rules of human decency, but its not a foul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walton/come-on-that-was-no-foul-it-may-be-a-violation-of-all-the-basic-rules/) [Bill Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walton/) > [Listen, young people, I understand narcissism - clearly. But at least I have the decency to hate myself. And that's what's missing from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/listen-young-people-i-understand-narcissism-clearly-but-at-least-i/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/what-s-wrong-with-death-sir-what-are-we-so-mortally-afraid-of-why-can/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Don't overestimate the decency of the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/don-t-overestimate-the-decency-of-the-human-race/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Faye, if you got eaten by another shark, would you please at least have the decency to say so? My time is kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-lothlorien/faye-if-you-got-eaten-by-another-shark-would-you-please-at-least-have/) Elle Lothlorien > [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... "We must treat each man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/let-the-watchwords-of-all-our-people-be-the-old-familiar-watchwords/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Liberty ... was a two-headed boon. There was first, the liberty of the people as a whole to determine the forms of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/liberty-was-a-two-headed-boon-there-was-first-the-liberty-of-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-gather-a-repulsive-nobody-writing-in-a-paper-no-one-of-any-decency/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“The quality of your life ultimately depends on the quality of your relationships . . . which are basically a reflection of your sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-quality-of-your-life-ultimately-depends-on-the-quality-of-your/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“No woman deserves to be treated as little more than your toy. If you feel she is nothing more than a cheap hooker, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/no-woman-deserves-to-be-treated-as-little-more-than-your-toy-if-you/) [Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/) > [“Almost everything you think is sacred, good and decent, is a lie and an all-out assault against truth and decency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/almost-everything-you-think-is-sacred-good-and-decent-is-a-lie-and-an/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I am not a member of the chamber of commerce for show business, believe me, but there are some really good people in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-am-not-a-member-of-the-chamber-of-commerce-for-show-business/) [Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/) > [Out of all the fighters that I have developed, clothed, financed, Gerrie Coetzee is the only one who had the decency to say 'thanks'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/out-of-all-the-fighters-that-i-have-developed-clothed-financed-gerrie/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) > [If I see that something is wrong, I don't care who says it. Whether it's a Republican or Democrat, the left or the right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aragones/if-i-see-that-something-is-wrong-i-don-t-care-who-says-it-whether-it/) [Sergio Aragones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aragones/) > [I love our shared island, our shared Ireland and its core decency. I love it for its imagination and its celebration of the endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-higgins/i-love-our-shared-island-our-shared-ireland-and-its-core-decency-i/) [Michael D. Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-higgins/) [Browse all 559 Decency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with insanity, decency as compared with vandalism, friendship as compared with rabies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-compared-with-insanity-decency-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decency" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-compared-with-insanity-decency-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/kurt-vonnegut-41_decency_i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-comp_2118370.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I could go on to speak of sanity as compared with insanity, decency as compared with vandalism, friendship…” — 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": "I could go on to speak...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-compared-with-insanity-decency-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-could-go-on-to-speak-of-sanity-as-compared-with-insanity-decency-as/#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 } } ] } ```