In every bit of honest writing in the world, there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. John Steinbeck More Quotes by John Steinbeck More Quotes From John Steinbeck We can shoot rockets into space but we can't cure anger or discontent. John Steinbeck rocketscuresspace And when that crop grew, and was harvested, no man had crumbled a hot clod in his fingers and let the earth sift past his fingertips. No man had touched the seed, or lusted for the growth. Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses. John Steinbeck prayermenpast The trash and litter of nature disappears into the ground with the passing of each year, but man's litter has more permanence. John Steinbeck naturemenyears There's more beauty in the truth even if it is dreadful beauty. John Steinbeck chaostruthbeauty If we could learn even a little to like ourselves, maybe our cruelties and angers might melt away. John Steinbeck angerlittlesmight Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. John Steinbeck strongertexasamerica The craft or art of writing is the clumsy attempt to find symbols for the wordlessness. John Steinbeck craftswritingart They's times when how you feel got to be kep' to yourself. John Steinbeck how-you-feelfeels Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all else, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. John Steinbeck texasobsessionmind Courage and fear were one thing too. John Steinbeck one-thingfear At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars. John Steinbeck duststarsmorning Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans John Steinbeck texasboysthinking There are no ugly questions except those clothed in condescension. John Steinbeck condescensioncondescension-andugly Some men are friends with the whole world in their hearts, and there are others that hate themselves and spread their hatred around like butter on hot bread. John Steinbeck hateheartmen It seems to me Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering. The land is rich with grass and color, and the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. John Steinbeck mountaincolorland I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts. John Steinbeck eyedogthinking How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him--he has known a fear beyond every other. John Steinbeck wrathmenchildren I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. John Steinbeck dedicationmenbelieve Hard-covered books break up friendships. You loan a hard covered book to a friend and when he doesn’t return it you get mad at him. It makes you mean and petty. But twenty-five cent books are different. John Steinbeck madmeanbook So in our pride we ordered for breakfast an omelet, toast and coffee and what has just arrived is a tomato salad with onions, a dish of pickles, a big slice of watermelon and two bottles of cream soda. John Steinbeck coffeepridetwo