We have usurped many of the powers we once ascribed to God. John Steinbeck More Quotes by John Steinbeck More Quotes From John Steinbeck But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not. John Steinbeck edengivingmen In Spanish there is a word for which I can't find a counterword in English. It is the verb VACILAR... It does not mean vacillating at all. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere, but does not greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction. John Steinbeck verbsdoemean A creative person has to be alive. He can't borrow from things he's done in the past. He can't let his method choose his subjects or his characters. They can't be warped to fit his style. John Steinbeck writingcharacterpast I like a lot of talk in a book and I don't like to have nobody tell me what the guy that's talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks. John Steinbeck guytalkingbook A book is like a man - clever and dull, brave and cowardly, beautiful and ugly. John Steinbeck cleverbeautifulbook Man is the only kind of varmint sets his own trap, baits it, then steps in it. John Steinbeck baitliteraturemen Money is not nice. Money got no friends but more money. John Steinbeck more-moneyno-friendsnice I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession. John Steinbeck lionsgratefulpride One day we'll sit and you'll lay it out on the table, neat like a solitaire deck, but now - why, you can't find all the cards. John Steinbeck one-daytablescards The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it. John Steinbeck tryinglove-isbeautiful “Do you take pride in your hurt?” Samuel asked. “Does it make you seem large and tragic?” “I don't know.” “Well, think about it. Maybe you're playing a part on a great stage with only yourself as audience.” John Steinbeck pridehurtlying His ear heard more than what was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. John Steinbeck speechunderstandingears The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it. John Steinbeck wrathmonstersmen When a child first catches adults out -- when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not always have divine intelligence, that their judgments are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just -- his world falls into panic desolation. The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child's world is never quite whole again. It is an aching kind of growing. John Steinbeck wisejobschildren Father and son are natural enemies and each is happier and more secure in keeping it that way. John Steinbeck fatherenemyson I guess there are never enough books. John Steinbeck enoughwritingbook In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable. John Steinbeck lonelinessliteraturetrying And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. John Steinbeck coursesstoriespeople Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. John Steinbeck abandonwritingideas Learning to read is probably the most difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain and if you don't believe that, watch an illiterate adult try to do it. John Steinbeck braintryingbelieve
