I don't think there is a single sentence in this whole book [East of Eden] that does not either develop character, carry on the story or provide necessary background.
John SteinbeckThe comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
John SteinbeckIn poverty she is envious. In riches she may be a snob. Money does not change the sickness, only the symptoms
John SteinbeckA town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet. A town is a thing separate from all other towns alike. And a town has a whole emotion. How news travels through a town is a mystery not easily to be solved. News seems to move faster than small boys can scramble and dart to tell it, faster than women can call it over the fences.
John Steinbeck