40+ Important 'Of Mice And Men' Quotes By John Steinbeck

'Of Mice And Men' is a famous novella by the American Nobel Laureate, John Steinbeck.

'Of Mice And Men' is set in the Great Depression era. The story revolves around two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, searching for a job as they move across America.

'Of Mice And Men' is one of the most important American novels as it shows the virtue of friendship, but also doesn't shy away from putting forward the futility of the idea of the American dream.

Lennie seems to have a mental inability to process the world around him and George acts as a support. They both dream of owning their own ranch.

As a final act of love, George took Lennie's life so he did not have to suffer at the hands of Curley, after Lennie had unwittingly killed Curly's wife.

If you like this article, you can check out: John Steinbeck quotes and ['Grapes Of Wrath' quotes].

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Character Revealing Quotes

Here are some famous 'Of Mice And Men' quotes that reveal the diverse characters in the novel.

1. "Curley's like alot of little guys. He hates big guys."

- The Old Man.

2. "A man got to have some rights even if he don't like 'em."

- Crooks.

3. "'He's a nice fella,' said Slim. '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.'"

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

4. "She’s gonna make a mess. They’s gonna be a bad mess about her."

- George, talking about Curley's wife.

5. "Lady, huh? Don't even remember who that lady was. That was your own Aunt Clara. An' she stopped givin' 'em to ya. You always killed 'em."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

'Of Mice And Men' Quotes About The Futility Of The American Dream

These are some famous George Milton quotes, Lennie Small quotes, John Steinbeck quotes, John Steinbeck book quotes and other characters on the subject of the American Dream.

6. "Well, we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof."

- George.

7. "'God, you're a lot of trouble,' said George. 'I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.'"

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

8. "For two bits I'd shove out of here. If we can get jus' a few dollars in the poke we'll shove off and go up the American River and pan gold. We can make maybe a couple of dollars a day there, and we might hit a pocket."

- George.

9. "Ever'body gonna be nice to you. Ain't gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from 'em."

- George.

10. "An' live off the fatta the lan'... An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it."

- Lennie.

11. "If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I'd have my own little place, an' I'd be bringin' in my own crops, 'stead of doin' all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground."

- George.

12. "In one month. Right squack in one month. Know what I'm gon'ta do? I'm gon'ta write to them old people that owns the place that we'll take it. An' Candy'll send a hunderd dollars to bind her."

- George.

13. "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."

- Crooks.

14. "We gonna work on a ranch, George."

- Lennie.

15. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads.

Hunderds of them. 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."

- Crooks.

16. "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now."

- Lennie's last words to George.

17. "'Never you mind,' said Slim. 'A guy got to sometimes.'"

- After George euthanized Lennie.

Quotes From 'Of Mice And Men' Dealing With Friendship And Loneliness

The subject of loneliness and friendship is explored in these quotes:

18. "Lennie said, 'I thought you was mad at me, George.'

'No,' said George. 'No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

19. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don't belong no place."

- George.

20. "'I was only foolin', George. I don't want no ketchup. I wouldn't eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me.'

'If it was here, you could have some.'

'But I wouldn't eat none, George. I'd leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it.'"

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

21. "I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why."

- Lennie.

22. "Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again. Lennie watched them go. 'Look, George. Look what I done.'"

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

23. "I seen things out here. I wasn't drunk. I don't know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an' then it would be all right. But I jus' don't know."

- Crooks.

24. "Guys don't come into a man's room very much."

- Crooks.

25. "You said I was your cousin, George."

- 'Of Mice And Men'

26. "We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."

- George.

27. "That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I get old an' a cripple."

- Slim.

28. "A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin' books or thinkin' or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin', an' he got nothing to tell him what's so an' what ain't so. Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not."

- Crooks.

29. "'What you want of a dead mouse, anyways?' 'I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,' said Lennie.'"

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

30. "He's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?"

- Carlson.

31. "Ain't many guys travel around together... I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other."

- Slim.

32. "Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outa my room. I ain't wanted in the bunk house, and you ain't wanted in my room."

- Crooks.

'Of Mice And Men' Book Quotes Around Nature And Time

In the book, 'Of Mice And Men', nature plays a role in describing the inner conflict of the characters as well as how The Great Depression played with the hopes and dreams of people. Even Lennie, at different situations, is compared to a terrier, horse, and a bear. Some of the symbolic nature quotes from the book are.

33. "Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk house, inside it was dusk."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

34. "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."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

35. "The day was going fast now. Only the tops of the Gabilan Mountains flamed with the light of the sun that had gone from the valley. A water snake slipped along on the pool, its head held up like a little periscope. The reeds jerked slightly in the current."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

36. "There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water."

- 'Of Mice And Men'.

'Of Mice And Men' Candy Quotes

These quotes by Candy is quite insightful.

37. "Sure they all want it. Everybody wants a little bit of land, not much. Jus' som'thin' that was his. Som'thin' he could live on and there couldn't nobody throw him off of it. I never had none."

- Candy.

38. "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives nor nothing."

- Candy.

39. "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs."

- Candy.

40. "We know what we got, and we don't care whether you know it or not."

- Candy.

41. "S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hunderd an' fifty bucks I'd put in. I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How'd that be?"

- Candy.

42. "I planted crops for damn near ever'body in this state, but they wasn't my crops, and when I harvested 'em, it wasn't none of my harvest."

- Candy.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Of Mice And Men' quotes then why not take a look at 'East Of Eden' quotes, or Harper Lee quotes?

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