John Steinbeck

"Tragedy requires a noble character, but comedy can afford any."

"The study of history is the best prophetic instruction."

"We are lonesome animals and we are only happy when we can believe we belong to something."

"The secret to understanding a person is not in their words but in their silences."

"There is no greater thing than to find your purpose and pursue it with all your heart."

"Time is the only true currency we possess."

"A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark."

"We spend our time searching for security and hate it when we find it."

"The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world."

"When a man is happy he doesn't hear the clock strike."

"War is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal."

"The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists of "best" things."

"Patience is not passive; it is the most active force of all."

"A man without ambition is like a ship without a rudder."

"The greatest terror in the world comes from the eyes of a child when he realizes his parent cannot protect him."

"We are born into a world of confusion and live our lives trying to make sense of it."

"The health of a society is determined by how it treats its weakest members."

"An adventure is only as good as the person you share it with."

"Imagination is the beginning of all creation and discovery."

"The more a man owns, the more he is owned."

"Gratitude is the rarest of all human emotions."

"A leader must learn to listen before he can hope to lead."

"The weight of a man's days is not measured in hours but in moments of truth."

"Strength is not found in the absence of fear but in the conquest of it."

"The greatest discovery a man can make is his own capacity for change."

"Knowledge without wisdom is like a body without a soul."

"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."

"The purpose of life is not to arrive safely at death."

"Beauty is found not in perfection but in authenticity."

"A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what is heaven for?"