--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had taught myself that a human being…" description: "\"I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg" --- # I had taught myself that a human being might as well look… ![“I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg) > “I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair.” [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. Suggests that seeking superficial rewards is as futile as searching for impossible treasures in undesirable places. **In simple terms:** Avoid chasing empty rewards. Key Takeaway Focus on meaningful goals. Themes philosophy critique materialism meaning Mood cynical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - career choices - financial decisions - personal relationships - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts existentialism value theory human nature Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters to you? - How can you align actions with deeper values? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine achievements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diamond/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Reward and punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-and-punishment/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Tiaras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiaras/) ## Related quotes > [There is not eternal damnation, the only rewards and punishments are right here in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-not-eternal-damnation-the-only-rewards-and-punishments-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Should one be shallow enough to view existence as a system of rewards and punishments, one soon learns that we pay as dearly for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/should-one-be-shallow-enough-to-view-existence-as-a-system-of-rewards/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Man has free choice, or otherwise counsels, exhortations, commands, prohibitions, rewards and punishments would be in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/man-has-free-choice-or-otherwise-counsels-exhortations-commands/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Not only do I disbelieve in the need for compensation, but I believe that the seeking for rewards and punishments out of this lifeleads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/not-only-do-i-disbelieve-in-the-need-for-compensation-but-i-believe/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“It was not heartbroken rage against injustice that froze me. I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-was-not-heartbroken-rage-against-injustice-that-froze-me-i-had/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-taught-that-the-human-brain-was-the-crowning-glory-of-evolution/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“From which it follows that neither praise nor blame nor honours nor punishments are fair”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derk-pereboom/from-which-it-follows-that-neither-praise-nor-blame-nor-honours-nor/) Derk Pereboom > [My father's biggest achievement with us as children was that he taught us that everyone is human and equal, even your enemy has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rula-jebreal/my-father-s-biggest-achievement-with-us-as-children-was-that-he/) [Rula Jebreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rula-jebreal/) > [“You taught me we are all human. And however will we learn, if you never give us the chance?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/you-taught-me-we-are-all-human-and-however-will-we-learn-if-you-never/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [There are no rewards or punishments - only consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/there-are-no-rewards-or-punishments-only-consequences/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/rewards-and-punishments-are-the-lowest-form-of-education/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/in-nature-there-are-neither-rewards-nor-punishments-there-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments — there are consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/there-are-in-nature-neither-rewards-nor-punishments-there-are/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [Years of research in psychology has shown that rewards and punishments can be very effective in changing behavior. But, at the same time, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/years-of-research-in-psychology-has-shown-that-rewards-and/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) ## 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 Diamond quotes > [People from all walks of life that you might find as a King Diamond fan - you don't look a certain way; you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/people-from-all-walks-of-life-that-you-might-find-as-a-king-diamond/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [The brightest and most valuable diamond started life as just a lump of carbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dilger/the-brightest-and-most-valuable-diamond-started-life-as-just-a-lump/) Peter Dilger > [It was an incredible experience performing for the members and attendees at the Diamond Resorts Invitational; it was such an impressive event, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-swindell/it-was-an-incredible-experience-performing-for-the-members-and/) [Cole Swindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-swindell/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The only difference between black coal and a precious diamond is the amount of pressure it endured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-only-difference-between-black-coal-and-a-precious-diamond-is-the/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I like everything with a heaping dose of feminitity, including my cell phone. I created this phone for the classic woman, who like me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimora-lee-simmons/i-like-everything-with-a-heaping-dose-of-feminitity-including-my-cell/) [Kimora Lee Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimora-lee-simmons/) > [The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-sky-was-a-sparkling-succession-of-black-diamonds-on-black-velvet/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“You're the proverbial diamond in the rough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-re-the-proverbial-diamond-in-the-rough/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [My crown is in my heart, not on my head; not decked with diamonds and Indian stones, nor to be seen: my crown is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-crown-is-in-my-heart-not-on-my-head-not-decked-with-diamonds-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Instead of the 1997 film directed, written, by James Cameron with Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane creating a love story and a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-baker/instead-of-the-1997-film-directed-written-by-james-cameron-with/) [Tom Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-baker/) > [“I had a dream that my boyfriend went back to his ex…I woke up and giggled because you don’t pick up a rock after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starley-ard/i-had-a-dream-that-my-boyfriend-went-back-to-his-ex-i-woke-up-and/) [Starley Ard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starley-ard/) > [I'll just do a round around of the house and make sure the rest of the family are fast asleep. We don't want that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/i-ll-just-do-a-round-around-of-the-house-and-make-sure-the-rest-of/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [“A diamond's happy ending is on a crown, but its beauty was formed in dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-diamond-s-happy-ending-is-on-a-crown-but-its-beauty-was-formed-in/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [What do nations care about the cost of war, if by spending a few hundred millions in steel and gunpowder they can gain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-nations-care-about-the-cost-of-war-if-by-spending-a-few/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,004 Diamond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diamond/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards and punishments that were fair.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-might-as-well-look-for-diamond/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Diamond" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-might-as-well-look-for-diamond/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/kurt-vonnegut-41_diamond_i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-m_886857.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had taught myself that a human being might as well look for diamond tiaras in the gutter as for rewards…” — 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 had taught myself that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-might-as-well-look-for-diamond/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-taught-myself-that-a-human-being-might-as-well-look-for-diamond/#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 } } ] } ```