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To my delight, I find that there is a different warning on each pack of cigarettes. Mine says: 'Warning: Smoking can cause fetal damage or premature birth.' Fuck it - I've found my brand! 'Yeah, give me a carton of Low Birth Weights.' Just don't get the ones that say lung cancer, you know? Shop around, find a disease you can live with. 'What are you smoking, Dave?' 'Throat Polyps. Want one?' 'No thanks, I'll stick with my Yellow Fingernails.'

Bill Hicks#35

HumorHealthSmokingSatire

About this quote

What does it mean?
He jokes about picking a cigarette brand based on a disease he can live with, mocking health warnings.
In plain terms
Choose smoking risks like choosing a flavor.
What can you take from it?
Satirize how people rationalize harmful habits.

Where it applies

  • public health campaigns
  • comedic performances

Putting it to work

  • highlight absurdity of risk selection
  • use satire in anti‑smoking messages

Questions to consider

  • Does humor help or hinder public health messages?
  • How can satire be used responsibly?

Another view

May normalize smoking by treating it as a joke.

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