1,374 Quotes by John Steinbeck

Three hours of writing require twenty hours of preparation. Luckily I have learned to dream about the work, which saves me some working time.

When a man says he does not want to speak of something he usually means he can think of nothing else.

One of the laws of paleontology is that an animal which must protect itself with thick armour is degenerate. It is usually a sign that the species is on the road to extinction.

The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It’s as though nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California.

What do I want in a doctor? Perhaps more than anything else-a friend with special knowledge.

[He] fell right into the oldest conviction in the world-- that the girl you are in love with can't possibly be anything but true and honest.

It doesn't matter that Cathy was what I have called a monster. Perhaps we can't understand Cathy, but on the other hand we are capable of many things in all directions, of great virtues and great sins. And who in his mind has not probed the black water?

Thou mayest rule over sin.

I'm back with my own kind of people here now, the bums and drinkers and no goods and it is a fine thing.