--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What gets me most about these people…" description: "\"“What gets me most about these people, Daddy, isn't how ignorant they are, or how much they drink. It's the way they have of thinking that everything n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/kurt-vonnegut-41_kurt-vonnegut_what-gets-me-most-about-these-people-dad_322749.jpg" --- # What gets me most about these people, Daddy, isn't how… ![“What gets me most about these people, Daddy, isn't how ignorant they are, or how much they drink. It's the way they have of thinking that everything nice in the world is a gift to the poor people from them or their ancestors. The first afternoon I was here, Mrs. Buntline made me come out on the…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/kurt-vonnegut-41_kurt-vonnegut_what-gets-me-most-about-these-people-dad_322749.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/kurt-vonnegut-41_kurt-vonnegut_what-gets-me-most-about-these-people-dad_322749.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/kurt-vonnegut-41_kurt-vonnegut_what-gets-me-most-about-these-people-dad_322749.jpg) > ““What gets me most about these people, Daddy, isn't how ignorant they are, or how much they drink. It's the way they have of thinking that everything nice in the world is a gift to the poor people from them or their ancestors. The first afternoon I was here, Mrs. Buntline made me come out on the back porch and look at the sunset. So I did, and I said I liked it very much, but she kept waiting for me to say something else. I couldn't think of what I was supposed to say, so I said what seemed like a dumb thing. "Thank you very much," I said. That is exactly what she was waiting for. "You're entirely welcome," she said. I have since thanked her for the ocean, the moon, the stars in the sky, and the United States Constitution.”” [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. The narrator observes that people often treat natural wonders and civic institutions as gifts owed to them, prompting a habit of expressing gratitude for everything. **In simple terms:** People thank everything, seeing it as a gift. Key Takeaway Cultivate genuine appreciation, not perfunctory thanks. Themes gratitude social norms perception humility Mood reflective thoughtful critical Type philosophical observational narrative When to use this quote - travel - first encounters - cultural immersion - learning about civic values Key Concepts existentialism social critique ritualistic behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does expressing thanks shape our relationship with the world? A Different Perspective May gratitude become hollow if overused? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kurt-vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kurt-vonnegut-2/) [Poor people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) [Rich people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-people/) [Satire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satire/) [Stars in the sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-in-the-sky/) [United states constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states-constitution/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [I just want to say one thing...Thank you Eddie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-gutierrez/i-just-want-to-say-one-thing-thank-you-eddie/) [Oscar Gutierrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-gutierrez/) > [“Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? Here's what I think the truth is: We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/can-i-tell-you-the-truth-i-mean-this-isn-t-the-tv-news-is-it-here-s/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Society is more concerned with material possessions than it is with the true love and compassion of another human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/society-is-more-concerned-with-material-possessions-than-it-is-with/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Five German soldiers and a police dog on a leash were looking down into the bed of the creek. The soldiers' blue eyes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/five-german-soldiers-and-a-police-dog-on-a-leash-were-looking-down/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Here's all she had to say about death: "Oh my, oh my.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/here-s-all-she-had-to-say-about-death-oh-my-oh-my/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Yes, and Eliza and I composed a precocious critique of the Constitution of the United Staes of America, too. We argued that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/yes-and-eliza-and-i-composed-a-precocious-critique-of-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The nicest veterans in Schenectady, I thought, the kindest and funniest ones, the ones who hated war the most, were the ones who'd really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-nicest-veterans-in-schenectady-i-thought-the-kindest-and-funniest/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The mind reels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-mind-reels/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Standing among all those tiny, wavering lights, I felt as though I were God, up to my knees in the Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/standing-among-all-those-tiny-wavering-lights-i-felt-as-though-i-were/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Why should I bother with made-up games when there are so many real ones going on?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/why-should-i-bother-with-made-up-games-when-there-are-so-many-real/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“When you're dead you're dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-you-re-dead-you-re-dead/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Billy took off his tri-focals and his coat and his necktie and his shoes, and he closed the venetian blinds and then the drapes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/billy-took-off-his-tri-focals-and-his-coat-and-his-necktie-and-his/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And I like Strauss and Mozart and all that, but the priceless gift that African Americans gave the world when they were still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-i-like-strauss-and-mozart-and-all-that-but-the-priceless-gift/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Billy Pilgrim: "You guys go on without me. 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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 Kurt-vonnegut quotes > [“Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? 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