Clean hands Quote by John Steinbeck
““Let’s get it over and the door closed shut on it! Let’s close it like a book and go on reading! New chapter, new life. A man will have clean hands once we get the lid slammed shut on that stinking century. It’s a fair thing ahead. There’s no rot on this clean new hundred years. It’s not stacked, and any bastard who deals seconds from this new deck of years— why, we’ll crucify him head down over a privy. Oh, but strawberries will never taste so good again and the thighs of women have lost their clutch!””
About This Quote
A radical break from the past promises renewal, but the rhetoric is chaotic and contradictory, hinting at both hope and disillusionment.
In simple terms: Closing chapters invites new beginnings.
Key Takeaway
Endings can be cleansing.
Themes
renewal
history
optimism
cynicism
metaphor
Mood
hopeful
skeptical
Type
prose
rhetorical
When to use this quote
- post‑war reflection
- personal transformation
- political upheaval
Key Concepts
periodic change
societal critique
Practical Applications
- motivational speeches
- literary analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- What does ‘closing the door’ symbolize for you?
- Do you see the new chapter as hopeful or threatening?
A Different Perspective
The passage mixes grandiose optimism with obscure, possibly satirical, imagery that may obscure its intended message.
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
