Wednesday, May 28, 2008

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

I am ashamed that I have waited until age 30 to read this book. The back of the book says this is John Steinbeck's masterpiece, and I would have to agree.

Here are a few passages I pulled out:

You can boast about anything if it's all you have. Maybe the less you have, the more you are required to boast. -- page 4

You are one of the rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect. -- page 187

In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love. When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world. -- page 477

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Attempting to avoid eye-poking... :) Thanks for checking out my blog! Have a happy day!

Elizardbreath

Roz said...

Is it fiction or non?

Mercy's Maid said...

Fiction,but he wrote himself into the book. It's weird.

gautami tripathy said...

I read it two years back and it is still fresh in my mind.

My review:

East of Eden

Anonymous said...

I recently heard another powerful quote from this book. You made me decide to try to get my hands on it.

Sarah at SmallWorld said...

One of my favorite books of all time. I'd like to have a Books To Re-Read list as well as my TBR list!!