The profession of book-writing makes horse-racing seem like a solid, stable business.
~ John Steinbeck
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The profession of book-writing makes horse-racing seem like a solid, stable business.
~ John Steinbeck
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The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit — for gallantry in defeat — for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally-flags of hope and of emulation.
~ John Steinbeck
A good writer always works at the impossible.
~ John Steinbeck
There is the will of the people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit.
~ John Steinbeck
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A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.
~ John Steinbeck
There are no ugly questions except those clothed in condescension.
~ John Steinbeck
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Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in art, in music, in poetry, in mathematics, or philosophy.
~ John Steinbeck
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It is the duty of the writer to lift up, to extend, to encourage. If the written word has contributed anything at all to our developing species and our half developed culture, it is this: Great writing has been a staff to lean on, a mother to consult, a wisdom to pick up stumbling folly, a strength in weakness and a courage to support sick cowardice.
~ John Steinbeck
Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man.
~ John Steinbeck
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We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.
~ John Steinbeck
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