Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
I wrote The Grapes of Wrath in one hundred days, but many years of preparation preceded it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Preparation is essential for achieving one's goals effectively.
In this quote, John Steinbeck emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation in achieving significant accomplishments. Although the writing process of 'The Grapes of Wrath' took just one hundred days, it was built on years of research, experiences, and ideas that shaped the final work. This highlights that successful outcomes are often the result of long-term effort and dedication behind the scenes.
Themes
PreparationWritingSuccessEffortDedication
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of planning in life and careers.
More from John Steinbeck
All quotes βAt one point, as Samuel urges Adam to raise his boys well regardless of the blood that might be in them, Adam tells him, "You can't make a race horse of a pig." Samuel replies, "No, but you can make a very fast pig.
John SteinbeckRead
And when that crop grew, and was harvested, no man had crumbled a hot clod in his fingers and let the earth sift past his fingertips. No man had touched the seed, or lusted for the growth. Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses.
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The comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
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People do not want advice - they want corroboration.
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It is one of the triumphs of the human that he can know a thing and still not believe it.
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