Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Texas embodies a unique identity that goes beyond geography and touches on cultural significance.
In this quote, John Steinbeck reflects on the idea that Texas represents more than just a physical location; it symbolizes a state of mind and a cultural mystique akin to religion. This suggests that the feelings, values, and traditions associated with Texas contribute to a deeper, almost spiritual connection for its inhabitants and admirers, making it an integral part of their identity.
Themes
TexasIdentityCulturalMystiqueReligion
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation about Texas culture, I used this quote to highlight the state's unique identity.
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
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The Christian faith does not call for us to put our minds on the shelf, to fly in the face of common sense and history, or to make a leap of faith into the dark. The rational person, fully apprised of the evidence, can confidently believe.
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Spiritual power is a force which history clearly teaches has been the greatest force in the development of men. Ye. we have been merely playing with it and never have really studied it as we have the physical forces. Some day people will learn that material things do not bring happiness, and are of little use in making people creative and powerful. Then the scientists of the world will turn their laboratories over to the study of spiritual forces which have hardly been scratched.
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