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John Steinbeck Quotes - Page 2

All Quotes Ambition Art Business Challenges Chaos Character Children Choices Confusion Country Criticism Design Desire Doubt Dying Earth Effort Evil Fate Fear Feelings Fighting Freedom Friendship Giving Gold Greatness Greed Guilt Hate Hatred Heart Heaven Hell Home Honesty Horror House Hunger Hurt Inspirational Journey Joy Kindness Laughter Life Literature Loneliness Loss Love Luck Lying Magic Mathematics Memories Morning Mountain Nature Obsession Pain Past Philosophy Pleasure Prayer Pride Quality Rain Reading Reality Responsibility Running Sadness Science Sickness Sin Singing Sleep Socialism Son Sorrow Soul Struggle Suffering Summer Teaching Travel Understanding Waiting Wall War Water Wife Winning Winter Worry Writing

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.

Fear, Loss, Power

"The Short Reign of Pippin IV". Book by John Steinbeck, p. 102, 1957.

I know now why confusion in government is not only tolerated but encouraged. I have learned. A confused people can make no clear demands.

Confused, Government, People

John Steinbeck (2007). “The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication”, p.103, Penguin

I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?

Life, Kindness, Believe

It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.

Loss, Dark, Grieving

John Steinbeck (2008). “The Winter of Our Discontent”, p.247, Penguin

It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him.

Life, Motivational, Positive

All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal.

War, Animal, Men

John Steinbeck (2007). “Once There Was a War”, p.9, Penguin

With all our horrors and faults, somewhere in us there is a shining.

Shining, Faults, Horror

This is the thing to bomb. This is the beginning—from "I" to "we". If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself. If you could separate causes from results, if you could know that Paine, Marx, Jefferson, Lenin were results, not causes, you might survive. But that you cannot know. For the quality of owning freezes you forever into "I", and cuts you off forever from the "we".

Cutting, People, Forever

John Steinbeck (2016). “The Grapes of Wrath”, p.120, Hamilton Books

Nearly everyone has his box of secret pain.

Pain, Secret, Boxes

John Steinbeck (1952). “East of Eden”

It's almost impossible to read a fine thing without wanting to do a fine thing.

Impossible, Fine Things, Fine

John Steinbeck (1994). “Novels and Stories, 1932-1937”

All great and precious things are lonely.

Lonely, Loneliness, Being Alone

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.458, Penguin

Somewhere in the world there is a defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness lives in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory.

Mean, Greatness, Victory

John Steinbeck (2008). “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.45, Penguin

You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.

People, Empathy, Feels

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.391, Penguin

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do...Try to be better than yourself.

Dream, Writing, Excellence

I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen.

Life, People, Lovely

John Steinbeck (2008). “The Winter of Our Discontent”, p.77, Penguin

It’s a hard thing to leave any deeply routine life, even if you hate it.

Hate, Routine Life, Hard

My imagination will get me a passport to hell one day.

Imagination, One Day, Hell

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.156, Penguin

Perhaps the best conversationalist in the world is the man who helps others to talk.

Helping Others, Men, World

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.379, Penguin

People are felt rather than seen after the first few moments.

People, Firsts, Moments

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.53, Penguin

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.

Summer, Winter, Weather

An unbelieved truth can hurt a man much more than a lie. It takes great courage to back truth unacceptable to our times. There's a punishment for it, and it's usually crucifixion.

Courage, Hurt, Lying

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.232, Penguin

A little hope, even hopeless hope, never hurt anybody.

Hurt, Littles, Hopeless

John Steinbeck (2008). “The Winter of Our Discontent”, p.90, Penguin

It is a time of quiet joy, the sunny morning. When the glittery dew is on the mallow weeds, each leaf holds a jewel which is beautiful if not valuable. This is no time for hurry or for bustle. Thoughts are slow and deep and golden in the morning.

Beautiful, Weed, Morning

John Steinbeck (1997). “Tortilla Flat”, p.34, Penguin

I believe that love cannot be bought except with love.

Love, Believe, I Believe

A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good and handsome. And I was not afraid any more.

Fear, Light, Color

John Steinbeck (2002). “East of Eden”, p.148, Penguin

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