If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
~Henry J. Tillman
Also, was looking for a Vonnegut quote that would work in my statement of purpose. Found this from Mother Night. Sadly, too long:
"It all adds up," he said. "People don't realize." He shook his head. "What should people do?"
"Obey the laws," I said.
"They don't even want to do that, half of 'em," he said. "The things I see - the things people say to me. Sometimes I get very discouraged."
"Everybody does that from time to time," I said.
"I guess it's partly chemistry," he said.
"What is?" I said.
"Getting down in the dumps," he said. "Isn't that what they're finding out - that a lot of that's chemicals?"
"I don't know," I said.
"That's what I read," he said. "That's one of the things they're finding out."
"Very interesting," I said.
"They can give a man certain chemicals, and he goes crazy," he said. "That's one of the things they're working with. Maybe it's all chemicals."
"Very possible," I said.
"Maybe it's different chemicals that different countries eat that makes people act in different ways at different times," he said.
"I'd never thought of that before," I said.
"Why else would people change so much?" he said. "My brother was over in Japan, and he said the Japanese were the nicest people he ever met, and it was the Japanese who'd killed our father! Think about that for a minute."
"All right," I said.
"I think about chemicals all the time," he said. "Sometimes I think I should go back to school and find out all the things they've found out so far about chemicals."
"I think you should," I said.
"Maybe, when they find out more about chemicals," he said, "there won't have to be policemen or wars or crazy houses or divorces or drunks or juvenile delinquints or women gone bad or anything anymore."
"That would sure be nice," I said.
"It's possible," he said.
"I beleive you," I said.
"The way they're going, everything's possible now, if they just work at it - get the money and get the smartest people and get to work. Have a crash program," he said.
"I'm for it," I said.
"Look at how some women go half off their nut once a month," he said. "Certain chemicals get loose, and the women can't help but act that way. Sometimes a certain chemical will get loose after a woman's had a baby, and she'll kill the baby. That happened four doors down from here just last week."
"How awful," I said. "I hadn't heard-"
"Most unnatural thing a woman can do is kill her own baby, but she did it," he said. "Certain chemicals in the blood made her do it, even though she knew better, didn't want to do it at all."
"Um," I said.
"You wonder what's wrong with the world-" he said, "well there's an important clue right there."
