Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
What freedom men and women could have, were they not constantly tricked and trapped and enslaved and tortured by their sexuality! The only drawback in that freedom is that without it one would not be a human. One would be a monster.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote addresses the complexities of human sexuality and its impact on freedom and humanity.
John Steinbeck's quote explores the paradox of sexuality, suggesting that while it can bind and constrain individuals, it is also an intrinsic part of what it means to be human. He highlights the struggle between seeking freedom from societal expectations and the reality that our desires and urges contribute to our humanity rather than diminish it. The quote implies that navigating one's sexuality is a crucial aspect of the human experience, filled with both pain and profound significance.
Themes
FreedomSexualityHumanityIdentityExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion panel on sexual identity and freedom.
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.
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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.
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The comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
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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.
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