Kurt Vonnegut Quotes

It may not be proper for me, perhaps, to let my feelings carry me further am therefore resigned to stop here, if sir, you think my particular reasons following too free, or will give offense to the House, which I would be sorry to be thought capable of intending.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

I don't want to offend people.

We'd never do anything tasteless. There's enough to make fun of without offending.

We don't like offending anyone.

I do not want to insult anyone with my act and am very careful about it.

I don't aim to offend.

I like to make jokes; I consider myself a funny person. I just think making jokes about people who are in a situation beyond their control is not funny to them or their families.

People appreciate it when you take some time to think about who will be listening to your jokes.

Don't flatter yourselves that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. On the contrary, the nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become.

I don't want to go about offending people; that's not my plan.

None of this was written to hurt anybody's feelings.

I have no intention of offending somebody who writes a weekly column.

Sometimes you just wonder whether people just don't have the sensitivity or decency. I'm a member of the media myself: I host a talk show. I know sometimes when you want to ask something, you can circumvent it with words and vocabulary. You don't suddenly just go out there and ask something directly in the pretense of being absolutely candid.

Nothing is too controversial, but you have to think about how to do it with sensitivity. I don't try to be insensitive. I think really, really carefully about exactly what things mean and how they will affect people.

Avoid witticisms at the expense of others.

I don't wish to embarrass anyone.

if you have to say “no offense” to someone, you have already offended them.

I don't see myself as offending people.

We take a lot of care with lyrics because we don't want to offend anybody.

Women want honesty but sometimes get upset if you are honest, so you need to know when to be honest.

I've seen racism in my audiences. For example, I've seen people laugh at every other group, but then clam up when it comes to their community. You can't laugh at everyone else and then not laugh at yourself. You shouldn't be at my show if you can't laugh at yourself.

I'm sensitive, and I don't ever want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

I think the thing I had to be careful about while writing a book was not to say anything that was revealing about other people that they would be uncomfortable with. I didn't want to make people angry - that's a real risk.

Without tact you can learn nothing.