Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. I fear the disease is incurable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the longing for change and the realization that maturity may not resolve one's discontent.
In this quote, John Steinbeck explores the idea that the desire for something different or a change in one's circumstances is a persistent aspect of human nature. He humorously points out that despite being told at various stages of life that maturity and aging would alleviate this restlessness, he finds that none of these life stages have truly cured his longing. This suggests a deeper philosophical musing on the idea that the quest for fulfillment or peace of mind is a lifelong journey, and perhaps an inherent part of being human.
Themes
MaturityLongingRestlessnessAgingDiscontent
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared at a graduation ceremony to reflect on the ongoing journey of personal growth.
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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