Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen. It's scary to think about. Point of reference again. When two people meet, each one is changed by the other so you've got two new people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the profound effect that encounters between individuals can have on their identities.
John Steinbeck's quote emphasizes the often overlooked impact of human interactions. He suggests that throughout our lives, we may pass by countless individuals without truly seeing or acknowledging them, which is a daunting thought. Moreover, with each meeting, both parties experience a change, highlighting the transformative nature of relationships. The essence of our connections with others shapes who we are and can lead to personal growth and new understandings.
Themes
RelationshipsPerceptionChangeHuman ConnectionGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a discussion about the importance of empathy in relationships.
More from John Steinbeck
All quotes →At 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.
John SteinbeckRead
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