Life is a Story

Dedicated to understanding life's richness and depth through story

[tstaskostory]

Just now it came to me what you don't understand. You know about the ugliness of a man. You use all the sad weak parts of a man, and God knows he has them. But you don't know about the rest.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

I'm looking forward to the bad smell of ugly books, and the sweet smell of good thinking.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

There's more beauty in the truth, even if it is dreadful beauty.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

He used hard sharp words, almost as though he wanted to cut himself with them.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

Aaron was content to be part of his world, but Cal must change it.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

My wish isn't as strong as it once was. I'm afraid I could be talked out of it, or what would be worse, I could be held back just by being needed. Please try not to need me. That's the worse bait of all.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

She tried to force her will on him, and she saw that he was detached and free.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

The warmth melted through into the cold concealed box where he stored forbidden thoughts. And the thoughts came timidly up to the surface like children who don't know whether they will be received.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

Thou mayest. That gives a choice. It may be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if 'thou mayest' it is also true that 'thou mayest not.'

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

Thank you for wanting to honor me with the truth. It's not clever but it's more permanent.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

Sometimes a man wants to be stupid, if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

He told me how a man, a real man, has no right to let sorrow destroy him. He told me again and again how I must believe that time would take care it. He said it so often that I knew that he was losing.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

He got into a book, crawled and grovelled between the covers, tunneled like a mole among the thoughts and came up with the book all over his face and hands.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

He rode lightly on top of a book, and he balanced happily among ideas the way a man rides white rapids in a canoe.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

There was a fine steel wire of truthfulness in him that cut off the heads of fast traveling lies.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

Tom was arguing with greatness, and the father watched his son and could feel the drive and the fear, the advance and retreat because he could feel it in himself.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden

[tstaskostory]

It isn't simple at all, it's desperately complicated. But at the end there's light.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden