A book is like a man - clever and dull, brave and cowardly, beautiful and ugly. For every flowering thought there will be a page like a wet and mangy mongrel, and for every looping flight a tap on the wing and a reminder that wax cannot hold the feathers firm too near the sun.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Books contain a mix of high and low qualities, reflecting human complexity. Great ideas are often accompanied by flawed execution or reality checks.
- In plain terms
- Books have good and bad parts just like people do.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept that creative work will always have imperfections alongside its best moments.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you handle the flaws in your own work?
- What makes a book worth reading despite its errors?
Another view
Not all books are equally complex; some are simple or purely functional.
More from John Steinbeck
He doesn't belong to a race clever enough to split the atom but not clever enough to live at peace with itself.
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