From "The Wayward Bus"

So I made a promise to myself to read every Steinbeck book before the summer was out. All my fall-loving friends on facebook, my desire for pumpkins, and my sunroof are telling me time is running out. But I found this little morsel the other night and really wanted to share:

"Look, kid," she said. "You'll just have to believe this until you find it out for yourself-- everybody's a tramp some time or another. Everybody. And the worst tramps of all are the ones that call it something else."

Sometimes I think the way Steinbeck writes women can be very indicative of the era in which he penned his books. They're treated as little girls, or coveted frail objects, or as something to work to attain and worship but never to fully respect.

But then there are times he surprises me and reminds me of how much deep-bellied truth there is in each of his books.