--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter…" description: "\"“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg" --- # Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment… ![“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg) > ““Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”” [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. Maturity can feel hopeless, but humor offers a way to cope with its bitterness. **In simple terms:** Humor eases the pain of disappointment. Key Takeaway Use laughter to soften harsh realities. Themes humor disappointment resilience Mood reflective lighthearted Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - grief - stress relief - team dynamics Key Concepts existentialism coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - Can laughter change the situation or just the perception? - When is humor inappropriate? A Different Perspective Humor may not solve underlying problems, only mask them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bokonon Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bokonon-tells-999662/) [Bokononism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bokononism-22216/) [Disappointment Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment-remedy-2572389/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Maturity Bokonon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity-bokonon-4633742/) [Unless Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-laughter-2572388/) ## Related quotes > [“Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter could be said to remedy anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-remedy-exists-unless-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maturity-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-remedy-exists-unless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before," Bokonon tells us. "He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/beware-of-the-man-who-works-hard-to-learn-something-learns-it-and-3/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close as mud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-god-created-every-living-creature-that-now-moveth-and-one-was-man/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Oh, a very sorry people, yes, Did I find here. Oh, they had no music, And they had no beer. And, oh, everywhere Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/oh-a-very-sorry-people-yes-did-i-find-here-oh-they-had-no-music-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Busy, busy, busy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/busy-busy-busy/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-remedy-exists/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/) [Harold McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-mcgee/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. 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The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“To be mature is, we're told, to move beyond possessiveness. Jealousy is for babies. The mature person knows that no one owns anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/to-be-mature-is-we-re-told-to-move-beyond-possessiveness-jealousy-is/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## 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. 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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 Bokononism quotes > [“And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. 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And, oh, everywhere Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/oh-a-very-sorry-people-yes-did-i-find-here-oh-they-had-no-music-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 4 Bokononism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bokononism-22216/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bokononism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/kurt-vonnegut-41_bokononism_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_2168513.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be…” — 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": "“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-2/#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 } } ] } ```