Quotes from In Dubious Battle

John Steinbeck ·  304 pages

Rating: (9.6K votes)


“Out of all this struggle a good thing is going to grow. That makes it worthwhile.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“I want to see the whole picture - as nearly as I can. I don’t want to put on the blinders of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and limit my vision. If I used the term ‘good’ on a thing I’d lose my license to inspect it, because there might be bad in it. Don’t you see? I want to be able to look at the whole thing.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“Sometimes I think you realists are the most sentimental people in the world.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“Mostly I’m too damn busy to know how I feel.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“I don’t mind getting smacked on the chin. I just don’t want to get nibbled to death. There’s a difference.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle



“Why, they're the dirtiest guys in any town. They're the same ones that burned the houses of old German people during the war. They're the same ones that lynch Negroes. They like to be cruel. They like to hurt people, and they always give it a nice name, patriotism or protecting the constitution.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“It’s funny how you want to do a thing and never do it.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“It seems to me that man has engaged in a blind and fearful struggle out of a past he can't remember, into a future he can't foresee nor understand. And man has met and defeated every obstacle, every enemy except one. He cannot win over himself. How mankind hates himself.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


“The doctor said softly, “Sometimes I think you realists are the most sentimental people in the world.”
― John Steinbeck, quote from In Dubious Battle


About the author

John Steinbeck
Born place: in Salinas Valley, California, The United States
Born date February 27, 1902
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“If a man smite you on one cheek, smash him down; smite him hip and thigh, for self-preservation is the highest law.”
― quote from Might is Right


“There's this truth about mirrors. It's inescapable. But they can lie, too. They can distort the truth, even hide the truth. They create illusion.”
― Jodi Meadows, quote from The Mirror King


“You have to remember every piece that's been played, even the ones removed from the board, because some of them might count against you in the end.”
― E.K. Johnston, quote from Ahsoka


“A part of me wonders if it's not what she went through that has shaped her into something so solid and strong, but the people who went through it with her.”
― Alexandra Bracken, quote from Through the Dark


“I am yours to command, husband,” I said to him, and met his eyes.
When my mother spoke to our father, she often said that. He liked it, the way she put herself in his hands. Until just now, I had not realized that since my mother was the one who allowed it, she had more power than even he might have realized. Lo-Melkhiin thought I was less than him; but his was not the only tally.”
― E.K. Johnston, quote from A Thousand Nights


Interesting books

A Rose for Emily and Other Stories
(26.3K)
A Rose for Emily and...
by William Faulkner
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
(7.4K)
The Secret Life of W...
by James Thurber
A Separate Reality
(13.7K)
A Separate Reality
by Carlos Castaneda
Eat Prey Love
(11.3K)
Eat Prey Love
by Kerrelyn Sparks
The Walking Dead, Vol. 5: The Best Defense
(21.2K)
The Walking Dead, Vo...
by Robert Kirkman
Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Saga of the Swamp Thing
(19.5K)
Swamp Thing, Vol. 1:...
by Alan Moore

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.