Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
The new American finds his challenge and his love in the traffic-choked streets, skies nested in smog, choking with the acids of industry, the screech of rubber and houses leashed in against one another while the town lets wither a time and die.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle and beauty found in urban life despite its challenges.
In this quote, Steinbeck captures the paradox of modern American life, where individuals find both their challenges and their passions amidst the harsh realities of urban existence. The imagery of polluted skies, congested streets, and close-knit housing conveys a sense of both struggle and community, suggesting that love and resilience can be found even in the most difficult environments.
Themes
UrbanChallengesLoveCommunityStruggleBeauty
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for discussing the complexities of city life during a community meeting.
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.
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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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