John Steinbeck

Donated by the estate of Dr. Donald S. Moore.

The Grapes of Wrath ; The Moon is Down ; Cannery Row ; East of Eden ; Of Mice and Men

Caitlin

Mazzy

I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers.

The direction of a big act will warp history, but probably all acts do the same in their degree, down to a stone stepped over in the path or a breath caught at sight of a pretty girl or a fingernail nicked in the garden soil.

nearly all men are afraid, and they don't even know what causes their fear

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 -- he is financially fortunate.

"Well, a man's mind can't stay in time the way his body does."

Pramit Pal

Shrewdness is a limitation on the mind. Shrewdness tells you what you must not do because it would not be shrewd.

"Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it let's him do a thing his cleverness forbids."

If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule — a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting — only the deeply personal and familiar

The Grapes of Wrath ; The Moon is Down ; Cannery Row ; East of Eden ; Of Mice and Men quotes

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