Quotation by

John Steinbeck

It has always seemed strange to me... 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, meannes

John Steinbeck

Failure

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

John Steinbeck is pointing out that qualities like kindness and honesty, which people usually respect, actually lead to failure in the way society is set up. Conversely, traits like greed and selfishness, which are generally disliked, tend to bring success within that system.

More by this author

All quotes by John Steinbeck →

More quotes about Failure

See all →

The Soviet Union did not achieve victory over the West, so was my information inadequate to help them to victory, or did it play no particular role in their failure to achieve victory?

There's only one thing that can guarantee our failure, and that's if we quit.

Failure is not fatal victory is not success.

Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.

It really is impossible not to like him. His success was his failure.

Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.