John Steinbeck Quotes

... I stayed because running seemed too strange and too complicated. All I knew was how to fall back, find a patch of solid ground, and then dig my heels in and fight to start over.

In misfortune we often mistake dejection for constancy; we bear it without daring to look on it; like cowards, who suffer themselves to be murdered without resistance.

Life can be so difficult at times but fighting through the pain is so worth it.

Don't give up. You're going to get kicked in the teeth. A lot. Learn to take a hit, then pick yourself up off the floor. Resilience is the true key to success.

I want to accept all the difficulties that face me in life with perseverance and patience.

Pain is a byproduct of life. That’s the truth. Life sometimes sucks. That’s true for everyone. But if you don’t face the pain and the suck, you don’t ever get the other things either. Laughter. Joy. Love. Pain passes, but those things are worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

Mourn if you must, but don't stop fighting.

I’d always enjoyed life, and I knew I would again. But I was going to have to slog through a lot of bad patches to get there

Sure, when you're in the midst of your own suffering, it's easy to convince yourself that you're no good—but we are all tested in this life...The measure of a man is not how much he suffers in the test, but how he comes out at the end.

If someone is trying to stop you from enjoying your life by impeding on yours, and telling you that your life is not the right way, then by all means, I'm the first one to say, "Fight for your rights, fight for who you are and for what you believe in." But you better be the stronger person. Just be aware and attentive to everything that's happening in life and know that there are gonna be people that are going to stop you and going to enjoy stopping you from getting to your goals. But just continue to be strong and outwit them.

Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does.

My father taught me that one of the most important abilities in life is to be able to take the pain and persevere, and for years this lesson had served me well.

The world loves to tell you how difficult things are, and the world's not exaggerating. But difficult doesn't mean impossible, and out of the bajillions of things in this universe that you can't control, what you can control is how hard you try, and if or when to pack it in.

You can take from every experience what it has to offer you. And you cannot be defeated if you just keep taking one breath followed by another.

Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more on it. A strength which becomes clearer and stronger through experiences of such obstacles is the only strength that can conquer them. Resistance is only a waste of strength.

A Warrior often loses heart.

I am stronger than I thought I was. My favorite phrase has been 'This too shall pass.' I now understand it really well.

Mental toughness must be developed before you start fighting because you don't want to be that guy who quits in the ring.

The essential thing in life is not so much conquering as fighting well.

Faith supplies staying power. Anyone can keep going when the going is good, but some extra ingredient is needed to keep you fighting when it seems that everything is against you

Don't let the bastards grind you down.

In general, the only way to overcome failure is to not let it destroy you. It's that old saying, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." You just have to keep going.

As I always say, I do not wish you an easy time, but I wish you that whatever difficulty you may have, you will overcome it.

Anyone can quit, but it takes a strong, committed person not to quit when times are tough.

Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say “I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.” Then repeat to yourself the most comforting of all words , “This too shall pass.”