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

Love

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

John Steinbeck is pointing out that qualities like kindness and honesty, which we value in people, often lead to failure in a society that rewards selfishness and cunning. He highlights a contradiction where negative traits such as greed and cruelty are more likely to bring success, even though we dislike them.

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