I have no idea how I’ve gotten to my age without ever having read Of Mice and Men. But today I put an end that gap in my literary education, and so far, so good.
The beginning of the book features an essay on Steinbeck by Susan Shillinglaw, who at the time was a professor of English and the director of the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University.
As part of giving a detailed overview of Steinbeck and his work; Shillinglaw shared these words from Steinbeck back in 1938:
In every bit of honest writing in the world, there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.
Does it get any simpler than that?
We all know the world desperately needs more kindness and less hate.
And Steinbeck offered us a solution over 80 years ago.
Maybe it’s time we took notice…
*image from ThoughtCo
Great lines by Steinbeck. Love is our way forward..😊😊😊
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that’s a great way of putting it, Salman!
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I can tell you that my friend that love has no boundaries like our land has. It embraces all whether you be white or black, whether you be african, Asian or European or from other parts of world. The boundaries of hate has been created by man himself. The lines of Steinbeck are the symbol and feeling of humanity which is everywhere in the hearts of people. All we need to do is that we have to realise and own it. ♥️♥️
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wonderful analogyof borders and love…
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Thank you..
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Isn’t it amazing when these words from long ago never lose their value? If anything, they are even more needed today in an era when people feel so free to insult one another like it’s nothing.
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it is a shame that we’ve ended up where we are…
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I agree with, Pete you only have to go online or read the papers and there is so much hate and insults in the comments it needs to stop and now…Wise words from John Steinbeck 🙂
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yes, the online world has only made the problem worse…
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A great reading selection, Jim! You won’t be disappointed. It does appear our biggest problem as a society is the lack of understanding, followed closely by its little brother, apathy.
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I’m enjoying the book so far; hopefully I will finish it this weekend. and I’ll add its cousin empathy…
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don’t feel bad jim, i only read it a couple of years ago, myself. (that is not to say that it wasn’t ‘required reading’ way back in my school career, but i clearly had glossed over it.) when i read it, i loved it and it’s message, and i love the quote from j.s., so true)
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good to know I am not alone. any other classics that you have read recently that you would recommend?
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This book was one of my mother’s favourite books, so I read it as a very young teenager. It was a very long time ago and I should probably read it again, but I am sure that it played a big part in shaping my outlook on humanity and race.
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I am enjoying it so far; I’ve only heard good things about it…
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That is a great quote – short and simple. Yet we need to be continuously reminded of these basic truths.
Enjoy the book.
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thanks, John. Yes, there are some basic truths about how to live a good life…
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Maybe we can start by trying to understand men (and women) who don’t know how to understand others.
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that sounds like a yeoman’s task…
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Yeah, man.
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yo, man…
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This is a great book, Jim, by a great writer.
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I am enjoying it so far; hope to finish it this weekend.
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Yes. And wonderful book.
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it was a quick read; was not expecting the ending…
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Great quote! I remember studying that book in English class, but can’t remember if I actually read it! May need to pick it up again now. 🙂
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it’s s short read, with a totally unexpected ending (at least it was to me…)
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I majored in English and I’ve never read this novel!
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I’m thinking it’s probably more of a high school level book. It’s a quick read, with a surprising ending…
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It’s a brilliant book, as is most of Steinbeck’s work. He’s one of my absolute favorites. Our son is named after him. 🕊
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wow – he must be a favorite! I’ve also read Grapes of Wrath. What would you recommend I read next?
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East of Eden. It replaced Grapes as my number one. 🕊
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great – I’ll put it on my list! thank you…
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👍🏻
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