1990 file photo of author Kurt Vonnegut visiting at the Beverly Hills Hotel, promoting his new book tha deals with the environment. (Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“There’s only one rule that I know of,
babies —
God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

Kurt Vonnegut, the beloved novelist we have to thank for Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle would have turned [93] today. Aside from his terrific and inventive page-turners, Vonnegut is often remembered for his outspokenness about both political and moral issues, as well as the importance of art. He advocated humanism both in interviews and in his books. It makes sense, then, that many of his novels contain quotable advice on how to live well.

Here’s some of the best advice gleaned from his novels, essays, and interviews:

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