"It has always seemed strange to me,” said Doc. “The things we admire in men — kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding, and feeling — are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest — sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism, and self-interest — are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first, they love the produce of the second.” ~John Steinbeck, Cannery Row
Little Grey Bungalow
Friday, May 22, 2009
Quote of the Day
"It has always seemed strange to me,” said Doc. “The things we admire in men — kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding, and feeling — are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest — sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism, and self-interest — are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first, they love the produce of the second.” ~John Steinbeck, Cannery Row
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3 comments:
One of my favorite books. with Sweet Thursday. And Travels with Charley. Steinbeck's comedies are soooo much more enjoyable to me than his dramas. Like Shakespeare.
Right on. So true and sad.
True, but not inevitable. I suppose everyone will think in terms of immediate and physical comfort first -- it's what we're hardwired to do for survival. The trick is to always go deeper to that better part of us and train ourselves and our children to do it. For the most part, people think these better qualities are "born" into you and just don't bother.
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