Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
Such is the prestige of the Nobel Award and of this place where I stand that I am impelled, not to speak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession and in the great and good men who have practised it through the ages.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the honor of receiving the Nobel Award, inspiring pride and a strong voice.
In this quote, John Steinbeck expresses the profound significance he feels about receiving the Nobel Award. Rather than feeling submissive or grateful in a diminutive manner, he champions the glory of his profession and the legacy of remarkable individuals who have come before him. His 'roar' symbolizes a powerful and proud acknowledgment of the value of literature and the impact it has had throughout history.
Themes
NobelPrestigeProfessionPrideLiteratureSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could serve as a powerful opener in a speech about the importance of literature in society.
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.
John SteinbeckRead
The comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
John SteinbeckRead
People do not want advice - they want corroboration.
John SteinbeckRead
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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