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1 " I want to see the whole picture - as nearly as I can. I don’t want to put on the blinders of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and limit my vision. If I used the term ‘good’ on a thing I’d lose my license to inspect it, because there might be bad in it. Don’t you see? I want to be able to look at the whole thing. "
― John Steinbeck , In Dubious Battle
2 " Out of all this struggle a good thing is going to grow. That makes it worthwhile. "
3 " It seems to me that man has engaged in a blind and fearful struggle out of a past he can't remember, into a future he can't foresee nor understand. And man has met and defeated every obstacle, every enemy except one. He cannot win over himself. How mankind hates himself. "
4 " Why, they're the dirtiest guys in any town. They're the same ones that burned the houses of old German people during the war. They're the same ones that lynch Negroes. They like to be cruel. They like to hurt people, and they always give it a nice name, patriotism or protecting the constitution. "
5 " Mostly I’m too damn busy to know how I feel. "
6 " I don’t mind getting smacked on the chin. I just don’t want to get nibbled to death. There’s a difference. "
7 " Sometimes I think you realists are the most sentimental people in the world. "
8 " It’s funny how you want to do a thing and never do it. "
9 " The doctor said softly, “Sometimes I think you realists are the most sentimental people in the world. "
10 " You bastards never owned nothing. You never planted trees an' seen 'em grow an' felt 'em with your own hands, You never owned a thing, never went out an' touched your own apple trees with your hands. What do you know? "
11 " You know how you feel about Sam an' all the guys that travel with you? Well, I feel that way about all the workin' stiffs in the country. "
12 " You see a guy hurt, or somebody like Anderson smashed, or you see a cop ride down a Jew girl, an' you think, what the hell's the use of it. An' then you think of the millions starving, and it's all right again. It's worth it. "
13 " But in my little experience the end is never very different in its nature from the means. Damn it, Jim, you can only build a violent thing with violence. "
14 " Nothing stops, Mac. If you were able to put an idea into effect tomorrow, it would start changing right away. "
15 " Together they pulled the door shut, and suddenly the car was dark and warm, and it throbbed like the body of a bass viol. The beat of wheels on the rail-ends grew less rapid as the freight slowed to go through the town. "
16 " His sleep was a shouting, echoing black cave, and it extended into eternity. "
17 " My old man didn’t want me to read. He said I’d desert my own people. But I read anyway. "
