Quotes from work
Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a play adapted from John Steinbeck's 1937 novel of the same name. The play, which predates the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards, earned the 1938 New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play.

John Steinbeck photo

“Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's
why.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“His ear heard more than is said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men (1937), Ch. 2, p. 36

John Steinbeck photo

“Guys like us got nothing to look ahead to.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“We could live offa the fatta the lan’.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Lennie, in Ch. 3, p. 57
Source: Of Mice and Men (1937)

John Steinbeck photo

“At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Says he foun' he jus' got a little piece of a great big soul. Says a wilderness ain't no good, 'cause his little piece of a soul wasn't no good 'less it was with the rest, an' was whole.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men (1937), Ch. 3, p. 41

John Steinbeck photo

“They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Lennie begged, "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now."
"Sure right now. I gotta. We gotta.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck photo

“Trouble with mice is you always kill 'em.”

John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men

Source: Of Mice and Men

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