Skip to content

Gods Quote by John Steinbeck

“The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child’s world is never quite whole again. It is…” quote by John Steinbeck
Download Open image
““The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. And the child’s world is never quite whole again. It is an aching kind of growing.””

John Steinbeck

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Grapes of Wrath, 1939

The fall of revered powers is catastrophic, leaving lasting scars that are hard to rebuild, reflecting humanity’s fragile hope.

In simple terms: When great powers fall, recovery is painful and incomplete.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the lasting impact of loss and rebuild with humility.

Themes

loss fragility reconstruction hope disillusionment

Mood

somber reflective resolute

Type

literary philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • Post‑war societies
  • personal crises
  • community rebuilding
  • spiritual doubt

Key Concepts

Mythic decline human resilience existential suffering

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you rebuild after a profound loss?
  • What can be learned from the collapse of once‑trusted systems?
A Different Perspective

Some may argue that new structures can arise stronger after collapse.

3.7 out of 5 (8 ratings)

More by John Steinbeck

Explore all 1,589 John Steinbeck quotes

More Gods quotes

Browse all 1,461 Gods quotes