“The death of children by starvation in our valleys is simply staggering. … I'll do what I can. … Funny how mean and little books become in the face of such tragedies.”

— John Steinbeck

Letter to Elizabeth Otis (1938), as quoted in Conversations with John Steinbeck (1988) edited by Thomas Fensch, p. 37
Context: I must go over into the interior valleys. … There are five thousand families starving to death over there, not just hungry but actually starving. The government is trying to feed them and get medical attention to them, with the Fascist group of utilities and banks and huge growers sabotaging the thing all along the line, and yelling for a balanced budget. In one tent there were twenty people quarantined for small pox and two of the women are to have babies in that tent this week. I've tied into the thing from the first and I must get down there and see it and see if I can do something to knock these murderers on the heads.
Do you know what they're afraid of? They think that if these people are allowed to live in camps with proper sanitary facilities they will organize, and that is the bugbear of the large landowner and the corporate farmer. The states and counties will give them nothing because they are outsiders. But the crops of any part of this state could not be harvested without them. … The death of children by starvation in our valleys is simply staggering. … I'll do what I can. … Funny how mean and little books become in the face of such tragedies.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "The death of children by starvation in our valleys is simply staggering. … I'll do what I can. … Funny how mean and lit…" by John Steinbeck?

John Steinbeck 366

American writer 1902–1968

Related quotes

“It’s easy to encourage dependency; harder to help people into a life of purpose and dignity. The worst are politicians who smugly talk about caring for the little guy, and then abandon the poorest, most vulnerable of our children to schools that give them little chance to succeed. That’s not just hypocrisy. It’s a tragedy. I became a conservative because I believe that caring for people means more than just spending taxpayer money; it means delivering results. It means respecting and challenging our citizens, telling them what they need to hear, not simply what they want to hear.”

Eric Greitens (1974) American politician, author, and former Navy SEAL

Former Navy SEAL: Why I am no longer a Democrat http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/07/13/former-navy-seal-why-am-no-longer-democrat.html (July 13, 2015)

“It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on, coughing and searching, and finding.”

Markus Zusak book The Book Thief

Source: The Book Thief

“Death is always and under all circumstances a tragedy, for if it is not, then it means that life itself has become one.”

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, 26th president of the United States

Letter to Cecil Spring-Rice (12 March 1900)
1900s

“Go, little booke! go, my little tragedie!”

Geoffrey Chaucer book Troilus and Criseyde

Book 5, line 1798
Troilus and Criseyde (1380s)

“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.”

Alex Haley (1921–1992) African American biographer, screenwriter, and novelist

Statement in Reader's Digest (1987), as quoted in Incredibly American : Releasing the Heart of Quality (1992) by Marilyn R. Zuckerman and Lewis J. Hatala, p. 13.

“There aren’t many funny bits in Mr Tolkien either,’ Matilda said.
‘Do you think that all children’s books ought to have funny bits in them?’ Miss Honey asked.
‘I do,’ Matilda said. ‘Children are not so serious as grown-ups and love to laugh.”

Roald Dahl book Matilda

Source: Matilda

“I mean, I'll do the best I can.”

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (1984) a member of the British royal family

Speaking about his view of his royal role, in the near future from September 2005
Source: [BBC NEWS UK 'I am who I am', http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4248234.stm, 2013-07-06, http://archive.today/DUpMy, 2013-07-06]

“How can you tell? That I like books, I mean.

The look on your face when you walked in, somehow I doubted you were that impressed by me.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Bones

Source: City of Bones

“And she keeps saying, how can you do this to me?

And i want to scream, what do you mean, how can I do this to you? Aren't we confusing our pronouns here? The question, really, is How could I do this to myself?”

Elizabeth Wurtzel book Prozac Nation

Source: Prozac Nation

“If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I'll say it.”

John Lennon (1940–1980) English singer and songwriter

“The death of children by starvation in our valleys is simply staggering. … I'll do what I can. … Funny how mean and little books become in the face of such tragedies.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

John Steinbeck 366

Related quotes

Related topics