--- title: "Recommended Books - \"If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?” by Kurt Vonnegut" description: "Recommended Books - \"If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?” by Kurt Vonnegut" --- [![Main-Logo-01-1](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Main-Logo-01-1.png?width=250&height=43&name=Main-Logo-01-1.png "Main-Logo-01-1")](https://www.thebusinessofgood.org) # Tim McCarthy and the Business of Good ## [Recommended Books - "If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?” by Kurt Vonnegut](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/recommended-books-if-this-isnt-nice-what-is-by-kurt-vonnegut) ** Jun 1, 2014 3:52:00 PM / by [Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/author/tim-mccarthy) ![](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/book-24.jpg)Editor’s comment: *In celebration of graduation season, here are nine graduation addresses collected and published by Vonnegut friend, Dan Wakefield. Reader be reminded that Vonnegut was an outrageous figure, a satirist even in speaking who can wrench your gut. But I marveled at this short read remembering that the great writers and teachers most of all make us think. At least once during each speech I laughed out loud and other times I set down the book to consider what he had just said.    * Favorite excerpts (it was hard to choose just three):   **“When Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross, he said, ‘Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.’ What kind of a man was that? Any real man, obeying the Code of Hammurabi, would have said, ‘Kill them, Dad, and all their friends and relatives, and make their deaths slow and painful.’” ** **His greatest legacy to us, in my humble opinion, consists of only twelve words. They are the antidote to the poison of the Code of Hammurabi, a formula almost as compact as Albert Einstein’s “E = mc2.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”   ** Reminding students that few will become famous and that most would find themselves just building their communities he said:   **“Please love that destiny, if it turns out to be yours – for communities are all that is substantial about the world.  Everything else is hoop-la.”** And lastly one of those that caused me to laugh out loud and one which I will now repeat to my three children often:   **“Whenever my children complain about the planet to me, I say ‘Shut up.  I just got here myself.’”** [http://www.amazon.com/If-This-Isnt-Nice-What-ebook/dp/B00CC1TF8S](http://www.amazon.com/If-This-Isnt-Nice-What-ebook/dp/B00CC1TF8S) Tags: [Creativity & Favorites](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/topic/creativity-favorites) ![Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Tim-square%20edit-1.png?width=100&height=100&name=Tim-square%20edit-1.png) #### Written by [Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/author/tim-mccarthy) ### Subscribe to Email Updates - Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [Creativity & Favorites (686)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/creativity-favorites) - [Monthly Newsletter (232)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/monthly-newsletter) - [Learning and Knowledge (209)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/learning-and-knowledge) - [Organizational & Operational Excellence (34)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/organizational-operational-excellence) - [Personal Well-Being (30)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/personal-well-being) - [Communication & Relationships (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/communication-relationships) - [Professional Growth and Development (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/professional-growth-and-development) - [Business & Entrepreneurship (27)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/business-entrepreneurship) - [Social Impact & Responsibility (9)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/social-impact-responsibility) ### Posts by Topic - [Creativity & Favorites (686)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/creativity-favorites) - [Monthly Newsletter (232)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/monthly-newsletter) - [Learning and Knowledge (209)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/learning-and-knowledge) - [Organizational & Operational Excellence (34)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/organizational-operational-excellence) - [Personal Well-Being (30)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/personal-well-being) - [Communication & Relationships (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/communication-relationships) - [Professional Growth and Development (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/professional-growth-and-development) - [Business & Entrepreneurship (27)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/business-entrepreneurship) - [Social Impact & Responsibility (9)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/social-impact-responsibility) [See all](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/recommended-books-if-this-isnt-nice-what-is-by-kurt-vonnegut#) ### Recent Posts --- Listen to Tim's Monthly Favorites on Spotify --- See Tim's Library at GoodReads ## [Tim's Book of the Month Library](https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/16122954-tim-mccarthy?shelf=books-of-the-month&utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [![The Hunter](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1692131625l/174156145._SX50_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602634062?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [The Hunter](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602634062?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Tana French](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/138825.Tana_French) [![Man’s Search for Meaning](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535419394l/4069._SY75_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636003?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [Man’s Search for Meaning](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636003?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Viktor E. 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