Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
He saw something that makes a man doubtful of the constancy of the realities outside himself. It was the shocking discovery that makes a man wonder if I've missed this, what else have I failed to see?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the unsettling realization that one's understanding of reality may be flawed or incomplete.
In this quote, John Steinbeck conveys a deep sense of existential doubt and introspection. The protagonist experiences a profound moment of clarity that challenges his perception of the world, leading him to question the reliability of his observations and beliefs. This realization prompts a broader contemplation about what other truths may have eluded him, illustrating the inherent uncertainty of human experience and the quest for knowledge.
Themes
DoubtRealityPerceptionIntrospectionKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about existential philosophy, one might use this quote to highlight the uncertainty of human understanding.
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.
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
Similar quotes
I want to convince you that humans are, to some extent, natural born essentialists. What I mean by this is we don't just respond to things as we see them or feel them or hear them. Rather, our response is conditioned on our beliefs, about what they really are, what they came from, what they're made of, what their hidden nature is.
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Men are not born saints with special gifts and privileges. They fight against the world, the flesh and the devil, and as they conquer, the spirit of Jesus begins to shine through with more clarity.
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Reason" in language - oh, what an old deceptive female she is! I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar.
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I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice.
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It is the awareness of unfulfilled desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.
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Christmas to a child is the first terrible proof that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive.
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