--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What war has always been is a puberty…" description: "\"What war has always been is a puberty ceremony.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg" --- # What war has always been is a puberty ceremony. ![“What war has always been is a puberty ceremony.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg) > “What war has always been is a puberty ceremony.” [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. War is portrayed as a rite of passage, a chaotic transition into adulthood. **In simple terms:** War is like a painful coming‑of‑age. Key Takeaway Recognize war’s destructive impact on growth. Themes war ritual adolescence Mood critical ironic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - military conscription - post‑war societies - youth activism Key Concepts human nature societal cycles Questions to Reflect On - What does this metaphor reveal about societal values? - Can peace replace this ‘ceremony’? A Different Perspective May romanticize conflict as necessary for maturity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Puberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puberty/) [Puberty Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puberty-ceremony-2456154/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Puberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-puberty-2456153/) ## Related quotes > [What war has always been is a puberty ceremony. It's a very rough one, but you went away a boy and came back a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ceremony-it-s-a-very-rough-one/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The master of ceremonies asked people to say what they thought the function of the novel might be in modern society, and one critic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-master-of-ceremonies-asked-people-to-say-what-they-thought-the-2/) [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/) > [“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/) > [I got married a bit late, I agree. In any other period of history I'd have been dead at that age and they'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-got-married-a-bit-late-i-agree-in-any-other-period-of-history-i-d/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Before puberty, it seems like I was more or less smiling a lot. I was really outgoing and wanted to have a happy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/before-puberty-it-seems-like-i-was-more-or-less-smiling-a-lot-i-was/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) > [“Michael Delaney used to be fat. Not puppy-padding fat—bursting-frankfurts-in-a-boiling-pot fat. He remembered gym class and swimming lessons. All of the thin guys who could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dries/michael-delaney-used-to-be-fat-not-puppy-padding-fat-bursting/) [Aaron Dries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dries/) > [Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-is-born-creative-everyone-is-given-a-box-of-crayons-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Parents tend to name all of baby boys' body parts, but with girls they go from belly button to knees with this void in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/parents-tend-to-name-all-of-baby-boys-body-parts-but-with-girls-they/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [When I dance, I look like I'm a dad at a prom. I never grasped my limbs. Ever since puberty I've just kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/when-i-dance-i-look-like-i-m-a-dad-at-a-prom-i-never-grasped-my-limbs/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [I was probably not the first to lose my virginity among my friends. I was definitely one of the last ones to reach puberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baker/i-was-probably-not-the-first-to-lose-my-virginity-among-my-friends-i/) [Simon Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baker/) > [Puberty hit me pretty hard. All of a sudden, I woke up, and I had really curly hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/puberty-hit-me-pretty-hard-all-of-a-sudden-i-woke-up-and-i-had-really/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I thought it was such a unique concept to play parents who happen to be super heroes and have a son who is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-preston/i-thought-it-was-such-a-unique-concept-to-play-parents-who-happen-to/) [Kelly Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-preston/) > [I was born fat and have always been, which was just fine and even healthy and cute until I turned ten or so. Puberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-born-fat-and-have-always-been-which-was-just-fine-and-even/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [No matter when you were born or where, puberty is the same. It's the same for your parents as it is for you -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/no-matter-when-you-were-born-or-where-puberty-is-the-same-it-s-the/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) ## 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 Ceremony quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [It is merely the egoism of the man, who wants to bury a woman like a treasure. All attempts at using vows, contracts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/it-is-merely-the-egoism-of-the-man-who-wants-to-bury-a-woman-like-a/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-ceremonious-bows-that-repel-one-like-a-cudgel/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Singing at the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 was amazing and, probably the highlight of this decade is the opening of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/singing-at-the-opening-ceremonies-of-the-sydney-olympics-in-2000-was/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Nostalgia is also a trait of the organizations that I call lodges - everything from corporate cultures to religious sects. Their bonding power often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-james/nostalgia-is-also-a-trait-of-the-organizations-that-i-call-lodges/) [Jennifer James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-james/) > [Over the weekend, former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Rebecca Carter married each other during a huge ceremony in Houston. The happy couple is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/over-the-weekend-former-enron-executives-jeffrey-skilling-and-rebecca/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“Japanese tea ceremony,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-berk/japanese-tea-ceremony/) [Sheryl Berk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-berk/) > [Truth and ceremony are two things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/truth-and-ceremony-are-two-things/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The trappings of a religious cult tend to fall into candlelit ceremonies and robes and group chanting and singing and prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-durkin/the-trappings-of-a-religious-cult-tend-to-fall-into-candlelit/) [Sean Durkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-durkin/) > [No known human group... simply throw out its dead without any ritual or ceremony. In stark contrast, no animal practices burial of dead individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/no-known-human-group-simply-throw-out-its-dead-without-any-ritual-or/) [Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/) [Browse all 534 Ceremony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What war has always been is a puberty ceremony.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ceremony/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ceremony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ceremony/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/kurt-vonnegut-41_ceremony_what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ce_482982.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What war has always been is a puberty ceremony.” — 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": "What war has always been is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ceremony/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-war-has-always-been-is-a-puberty-ceremony/#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 } } ] } ```