Men really need sea-monsters in their personal oceans. An ocean without its unnamed monsters would be like a completely dreamless sleep. John Steinbeck More Quotes by John Steinbeck More Quotes From John Steinbeck I shall revenge myself in the cruelest way you can imagine. I shall forget it. John Steinbeck revengeforgetway Your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person-a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one. John Steinbeck realwritinghelping A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick. John Steinbeck differenceslonelynuts If you want to destroy a nation, give it too much - make it greedy, miserable and sick. John Steinbeck sicksimplegiving No story has power, nor will it last, unless we feel in ourselves that it is true and true of us. John Steinbeck lastsstoriesfeels 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? John Steinbeck kindnesslifebelieve I think the difference between a lie and a story is that a story utilizes the trappings and appearance of truth for the interest of the listener as well as of the teller. A story has in it neither gain nor loss. But a lie is a device for profit or escape. I suppose if that definition is strictly held to, then a writer of stories is a liar - if he is financially fortunate. John Steinbeck lossliarslying My imagination will get me a passport to hell one day. John Steinbeck hellone-dayimagination Maybe we all have in us a secret pond where evil and ugly things germinate and grow strong. But this culture is fences, and the swimming brood climbs up only to fall back. Might it not be that in the dark pools of some men the evil grows strong enough to wriggle over the fence and swim free? Would not such a man be our monster, and are we not related to him in our own hidden water? It would be absurd if we did not understand both angels and devils, since we invented them. John Steinbeck angelstrongfall Well, I remember this girl. I am not whole without her. I am not alive without her. When she was with me I was more alive than I have ever been, and not only when she was pleasant either. Even when we were fighting I was whole. John Steinbeck alivegirlfighting He was born in fury and he lived in lightning. Tom came headlong into life. He was a giant in joy and enthusiasms. He didn't discover the world and its people, he created them. When he read his father's books, he was the first. He lived in a world shining and fresh and as uninspected as Eden on the sixth day. His mind plunged like a colt in a happy pasture, and when later the world put up fences, he plunged against the wire, and when the final stockade surrounded him, he plunged right through it and out. And as he was capable of giant joy, so did he harbor huge sorrow. John Steinbeck edenfatherbook Ah, the prayers of the millions, how they must fight and destroy each other on their way to the throne of God. John Steinbeck thronesfightingprayer Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. John Steinbeck paperwholewriting We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. John Steinbeck journeystruggletravel Writers are a little below clowns and a little above trained seals. John Steinbeck sealsclownlittles I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why. John Steinbeck you-got-memicelooks Socialism is just another form of religion, and thus delusional. John Steinbeck socialismdelusionalform Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased. John Steinbeck spacejourneylong Out of all this struggle a good thing is going to grow. That makes it worthwhile. John Steinbeck worthwhilegood-thingsstruggle To a man born without conscience, a soul-stricken man must seem ridiculous. To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous. John Steinbeck honestysoulmen
