--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The public health authorities never…" description: "\"The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly hon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg" --- # The public health authorities never mention the main… ![“The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg) > “The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.” [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. Smoking is a socially accepted self‑destructive habit, reflecting broader cultural attitudes toward health. **In simple terms:** Smoking is a socially accepted self‑destruction. Key Takeaway Question harmful norms. Themes health culture self‑destruction Mood critical satirical Type social political When to use this quote - policy making - personal health - media influence - addiction counseling Key Concepts public health ethics Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies normalize harmful habits? - How can we shift cultural narratives? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex addiction factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-smoking-1113291/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Heavily Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavily-smoking-1113292/) [Honorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honorable/) [Public health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-health/) [Quit smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-smoking/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking/) [Smoking Fairly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking-fairly-1113293/) [Smoking Heavily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking-heavily-1113294/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Tobacco exports should be expanded aggressively because Americans are smoking less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/tobacco-exports-should-be-expanded-aggressively-because-americans-are/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [ I don't know what anybody else in the world would want to thank America for, but man, it \[jazz\] works. What I like about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-don-t-know-what-anybody-else-in-the-world-would-want-to-thank/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [If you want to quit smoking every time you think about buying a pack put five dollars in a jar and at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/if-you-want-to-quit-smoking-every-time-you-think-about-buying-a-pack/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [“Russ quit smoking on a bet with Jimmy Blue Eyes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/russ-quit-smoking-on-a-bet-with-jimmy-blue-eyes/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [Never tell anyone that you're writing a book, going on a diet, exercising, taking a course, or quitting smoking. They'll encourage you to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-johnston/never-tell-anyone-that-you-re-writing-a-book-going-on-a-diet/) [Lynn Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-johnston/) > [Addiction is tricky. For example: a man who quit smoking for 11 years spent 15 seconds in an elevator with a man smoking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/addiction-is-tricky-for-example-a-man-who-quit-smoking-for-11-years/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [I quit smoking well over twenty years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-berman/i-quit-smoking-well-over-twenty-years-ago/) [Shelley Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-berman/) > [It is hard to quit smoking. Every one of them looks real good to me right about now. Every cigarette looks like it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/it-is-hard-to-quit-smoking-every-one-of-them-looks-real-good-to-me/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Will power is not telling anybody you quit smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/will-power-is-not-telling-anybody-you-quit-smoking/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I gotta quit smoking, doctor's orders, and the drinking, court orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-attell/i-gotta-quit-smoking-doctor-s-orders-and-the-drinking-court-orders/) [Dave Attell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-attell/) > [There was a young lady named Mae Who smoked without stopping all day; As pack followed pack, Her lungs first turned black, And eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gorey/there-was-a-young-lady-named-mae-who-smoked-without-stopping-all-day/) [Edward Gorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gorey/) > [The believing we do something when we do nothing is the first illusion of tobacco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-believing-we-do-something-when-we-do-nothing-is-the-first/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [To quit smoking, you must first want to quit, but then you must also do the quitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/to-quit-smoking-you-must-first-want-to-quit-but-then-you-must-also-do/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It's disgraceful that year after year, Congress has bowed to the tobacco lobby and refused to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/it-s-disgraceful-that-year-after-year-congress-has-bowed-to-the/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## 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 Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-public-health-authorities-never-mention-the-main-reason-many/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-public-health-authorities-never-mention-the-main-reason-many/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/kurt-vonnegut-41_authority_the-public-health-authorities-never-ment_1697101.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which…” — 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": "The public health authorities never mention...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-public-health-authorities-never-mention-the-main-reason-many/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-public-health-authorities-never-mention-the-main-reason-many/#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 } } ] } ```