{"quotes":[{"text":"And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed. The great owners ignored the three cries of history. The land fell into fewer hands, the number of the dispossessed increased, and every effort of the great owners was directed at repression. The money was spent for arms, for gas to protect the great holdings, and spies were sent to catch the murmuring of revolt so that it might be stamped out. The changing economy was ignored, plans for the change ignored; and only means to destroy revolt were considered, while the causes of revolt went on.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["history","john-steinbeck","land","owners","revolt","the-grapes-of-wrath"],"id":19612,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"Money does not change the sickness, only the symptoms.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["john-steinbeck","money","the-winter-of-our-discontent"],"id":78458,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"I guess we're all, or most of us, the wards of that nineteenth-century science which denied existence to anything it could not measure or explain. The things we couldn't explain went right on but surely not with our blessing. We did not see what we couldn't explain, and meanwhile a great part of the world was abandoned to children, insane people, fools, and mystics, who were more interested in what is than in why it is. So many old and lovely things are stored in the world's attic, because we don't want them around us and we don't dare throw them out.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["existence","john-steinbeck","reality","reason","science","the-winter-of-our-discontent"],"id":86969,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"It's because I haven't courage,' said Samuel. 'I could never quite take the responsibility. When the Lord God did not call my name, I might have called his name - but I did not. There you have the difference between greatness and mediocrity. It's not an uncommon disease. But it's nice for a mediocre man to know that greatness must be the loneliest state in the world.''I'd think there are degrees of greatness,' Adam said.'I don't think so,' said Samuel. 'That would be like saying there is a little bigness. No. I believe when you come to that responsibility the hugeness and you are alone to make your choice. On one side you have warmth and companionship and sweet understanding, and on the other - cold, lonely greatness. There you make your choice. I'm glad I chose mediocrity, but how am I to say what reward might have come with the other? None of my children will be great either, except perhaps Tom. He's suffering over the choosing right now. It's a painful thing to watch. And somewhere in me I want him to say yes. Isn't that strange? A father to want his son condemned to greatness! What selfishness that must be.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["east-of-eden","father","greatness","john-steinbeck","mediocrity","son"],"id":94969,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"The weight of knowledge is too great for one mind to absorb.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["east-of-eden","john-steinbeck","knowledge"],"id":115579,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"An' I got to thinkin', on'y it wasn't thinkin', it was deeper down than thinkin'.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["john-steinbeck","mgg","the-grapes-of-wrath","thinking","thoughts"],"id":126304,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"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.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["east-of-eden","john-steinbeck","lie","story","writer"],"id":167890,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"Got a lot of sinful idears--but they seem kinda sensible.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["jim-casy","john-steinbeck","mgg","sin","the-grapes-of-wrath"],"id":186446,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"Sometimes a sad man can talk the sadness right out through his mouth. Sometimes a killin' man can talk the murder right out of his mouth an' not to no murder. You done right. Don't you kill nobody if you can help it.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["john-steinbeck","mad","mgg","murder","sad","the-grapes-of-wrath"],"id":193723,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"},{"text":"But you can't start. Only a baby can start. You and me - why, we're all that's been. The anger of a moment, the thousand pictures, that's us. This land, this red land, is us; and the flood years and the dust years and the drought years are us. We can't start again. The bitterness we sold to the junk man - he got it all right, but we have it still. And when the owner men told us to go, that's us; and when the tractor hit the house, that's us until we're dead. To California or any place - every one a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day - the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it.","author":"John Steinbeck","tags":["bitterness","john-steinbeck","lives","money","the-grapes-of-wrath","value","worth"],"id":194239,"author_id":"John+Steinbeck"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":25,"pages":3,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}