--- 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”\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg" --- # Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for… ![“Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg) > ““Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists”” [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 brings a bitter sense of disappointment that lacks a cure. **In simple terms:** Growing up can feel hopelessly disappointing. Key Takeaway Accept disappointment as part of growth. Themes maturity existentialism literature Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary existential When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy sessions - philosophical discussions Key Concepts nihilism human condition philosophical pessimism Questions to Reflect On - What gives you hope in maturity? - Can disappointment inspire creativity? A Different Perspective Some find meaning despite disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Bitter disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-disappointment/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) ## Related quotes > [“Maturity,” Bokonon tells us, “is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no-2/) [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.”](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/) > [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/) > [I can honestly say that I have never had a more bitter disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-h-asquith/i-can-honestly-say-that-i-have-never-had-a-more-bitter-disappointment/) [H. H. Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-h-asquith/) > [Yes, yes, I know all the jokes. What else could I have expected at Highbury? But I went to Chelsea and to Tottenham and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/yes-yes-i-know-all-the-jokes-what-else-could-i-have-expected-at/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [Most people who make movies are in real life a bitter disappointment. I, on the other hand, am so much better in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dietrich/most-people-who-make-movies-are-in-real-life-a-bitter-disappointment/) [Marlene Dietrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dietrich/) > [You will find as the children grow up that as a rule children are a bitter disappointment - their greatest object being to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-victoria/you-will-find-as-the-children-grow-up-that-as-a-rule-children-are-a/) [Queen Victoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-victoria/) > [Make some sacrifice for your art and you will be repaid, but ask of art to sacrifice herself for you and a bitter disappointment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/make-some-sacrifice-for-your-art-and-you-will-be-repaid-but-ask-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [It is a bitter disappointment when you have sown benefits, to reap injuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-a-bitter-disappointment-when-you-have-sown-benefits-to-reap/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [A life directed chiefly toward the fulfillment of personal desires will sooner or later always lead to bitter disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-life-directed-chiefly-toward-the-fulfillment-of-personal-desires/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [In youth our most bitter disappointments, our brightest hopes and ambitions, are known only to ourselves. Even our friendship and love we never fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/in-youth-our-most-bitter-disappointments-our-brightest-hopes-and/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [Life has its pains and evils-its bitter disappointments; but like a good novel and in healthful length of days, there is infinite joy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/life-has-its-pains-and-evils-its-bitter-disappointments-but-like-a/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [The natural state of the football fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/the-natural-state-of-the-football-fan-is-bitter-disappointment-no/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## 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 Aging quotes > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists”", "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/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/kurt-vonnegut-41_aging_maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-di_773634.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Maturity, Bokonon tells us, is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists” — 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/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/maturity-bokonon-tells-us-is-a-bitter-disappointment-for-which-no/#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 } } ] } ```