Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
There are people who will say that this whole account is a lie, but a thing isn't necessarily a lie even if it didn't necessarily happen.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The truth can exist in subjective experiences, regardless of factual accuracy.
In this quote, John Steinbeck suggests that the validity of an account or story is not solely dependent on its factual accuracy. He emphasizes the importance of personal experiences and perceptions, implying that truths can emerge from narratives, even if they are not straightforwardly real. This invites readers to understand that a person's interpretation can carry significance and meaning beyond mere events.
Themes
TruthPerceptionExperienceNarrativeReality
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about storytelling and its importance in shaping culture.
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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