Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
You're buying years of work, toil in the sun; you're buying a sorrow that can't talk.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the unseen struggles and sacrifices behind achieving success or creating something valuable.
John Steinbeck's quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing the hard work and emotional burden that can accompany success. It suggests that when one acquires something, they are not just gaining its physical attributes but also the countless hours, efforts, and sorrows that went into its creation. This highlights the often-overlooked depth behind achievements and possessions, urging us to appreciate the effort and pain experienced by others.
Themes
WorkSacrificeSuccessEffortStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of hard work and dedication, one could use this quote to illustrate the unseen struggles behind success.
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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