John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American author. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” He has been called “a giant of American letters,” and many of his works are considered classics of Western literature. John Steinbeck quotes about love, death, the American dream, writing, and life will inspire you to achieve your goals.
Best John Steinbeck Quotes
- “I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “Maybe everybody in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” ― Of Mice and Men
- “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” ― East of Eden
- “It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “All great and precious things are lonely.” ― East of Eden
- “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” ―
- “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― Travels with Charley: In Search of America
- “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.” ―
- “When two people meet, each one is changed by the other so you’ve got two new people.” ―
- “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” ― Of Mice and Men
- “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.” ― East of Eden
- “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 almost always leads to love.” ―
-
“My imagination will get me a passport to hell one day.” ― East of Eden
- “No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “Anything that just costs money is cheap.” ―
- “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” ― The Grapes of Wrath
- “There’s more beauty in truth, even if it is dreadful beauty.” ― East of Eden
- “Do you take pride in your hurt? Does it make you seem large and tragic? …Well, think about it. Maybe you’re playing a part on a great stage with only yourself as audience.” ― East of Eden
- “I shall revenge myself in the cruelest way you can imagine. I shall forget it.” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “It would be absurd if we did not understand both angels and devils since we invented them.” ― East of Eden
- “A man so painfully in love is capable of self-torture beyond belief.” ― East of Eden
- “Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.” ― East of Eden
- “A man without words is a man without thought.” ― East of Eden
- “I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found.” ― Travels with Charley: In Search of America
- “There ain’t no sin and there ain’t no virtue. There’s just stuff people do.” ― The Grapes of Wrath
- “A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.” ― Travels with Charley: In Search of America
-
“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.” ― East of Eden
- “Don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens – The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” ―
- “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of a loss of power.” ―
- “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 anymore.” ― East of Eden
- “If you’re in trouble, or hurt or need – go to the poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help – the only ones.” ― The Grapes of Wrath
- “I guess there are never enough books.” ― A John Steinbeck Encyclopedia
- “Can you honestly love a dishonest thing?” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “To be alive at all is to have scars. ” ― The Winter of Our Discontent
- “People like you to be something, preferably what they are.” ― East of Eden