--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lee said, “Remember, Mr. Hamilton, I told…" description: "\"“Lee said, “Remember, Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying to translate some old Chinese poetry into English? No, don’t worry. I won’t read it. Doing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/john-steinbeck-71_old-things_lee-said-remember-mr-hamilton-i-told-you_2888844.jpg" --- # Lee said, “Remember, Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying… ![“Lee said, “Remember, Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying to translate some old Chinese poetry into English? No, don’t worry. I won’t read it. Doing it, I found some of the old things as fresh and clear as this morning. And I wondered why. And, of course, people are interested only in themselves…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/john-steinbeck-71_old-things_lee-said-remember-mr-hamilton-i-told-you_2888844.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/john-steinbeck-71_old-things_lee-said-remember-mr-hamilton-i-told-you_2888844.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/john-steinbeck-71_old-things_lee-said-remember-mr-hamilton-i-told-you_2888844.jpg) > ““Lee said, “Remember, Mr. Hamilton, I told you I was trying to translate some old Chinese poetry into English? No, don’t worry. I won’t read it. Doing it, I found some of the old things as fresh and clear as this morning. And I wondered why. And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule—a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting—only the deeply personal and familiar.”” [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story must be universally relatable; personal, familiar narratives engage audiences more than exotic ones. **In simple terms:** Stories should connect with everyone. Key Takeaway Write relatable stories. Themes writing audience universality Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary creative When to use this quote - novel writing - marketing - education - media production Key Concepts narrative theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can writers balance novelty with familiarity? - What makes a story timeless? A Different Perspective Exotic topics may alienate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foreign Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-interesting-4045388/) [Hamilton Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamilton-told-4045387/) [Interested Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-story-886292/) [Lasting Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-story-1546891/) [Old things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-things/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Story Hearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-hearer-1546889/) ## Related quotes > [“And, of course, people are only interested in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-of-course-people-are-only-interested-in-themselves-if-a-story-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [ “If a story is not about the hearer he \[or she\] will not listen . . . A great lasting story is about everyone… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-a-story-is-not-about-the-hearer-he-or-she-will-not-listen-a-great/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-of-course-people-are-interested-only-in-themselves-if-a-story-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“...of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/of-course-people-are-interested-only-in-themselves-if-a-story-is-not/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And I here make a rule-a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-i-here-make-a-rule-a-great-and-lasting-story-is-about-everyone-or/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule—a great and interesting story is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-a-story-is-not-about-the-hearer-he-will-not-listen-and-here-i-make/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Mrs. Hamilton told me teenagers are resilient, that we'll bounce back," he scoffs. "And I'm thinking, Okay. When?" I don't remember Mrs. Hamilton saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-skilton/mrs-hamilton-told-me-teenagers-are-resilient-that-we-ll-bounce-back/) [Sarah Skilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-skilton/) > [“I think fiction lends itself to messiness rather than the ideal, and plays well with the ironies surrounding what happens versus what should happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-think-fiction-lends-itself-to-messiness-rather-than-the-ideal-and/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [For me, before I learned how to read I was really interested in story and in landscape and nature. 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Takes a shoat to bring in pork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/prayer-never-brought-in-no-side-meat-takes-a-shoat-to-bring-in-pork/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And now submarines are armed with mass murder, our silly, only way of deterring mass murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-now-submarines-are-armed-with-mass-murder-our-silly-only-way-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“He was forever inventing a new way of doing an old thing and doing it better and quicker, but he never in his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-was-forever-inventing-a-new-way-of-doing-an-old-thing-and-doing-it/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“You come back a changed man. 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Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Who in his mind has not probe the dark water?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/who-in-his-mind-has-not-probe-the-dark-water/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [People like you to be something, preferably what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/people-like-you-to-be-something-preferably-what-they-are/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too. He found that he had started to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/suddenly-he-knew-joy-and-sorrow-felted-into-one-fabric-courage-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I am writing this from what we Americans call Yurrp. In Yurrp writers are taken as seriously as Lana Turner's legs are in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-am-writing-this-from-what-we-americans-call-yurrp-in-yurrp-writers/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I write because I like to write. I find joy in the texture and tone and rhythm of words. It is a satisfaction like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-write-because-i-like-to-write-i-find-joy-in-the-texture-and-tone/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Explore all 1,589 John Steinbeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More Old things quotes > [“The thing about moving," he said, "is it's a good way to shake loose whatever old baggage you have, or the old things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-schuster/the-thing-about-moving-he-said-is-it-s-a-good-way-to-shake-loose/) [Tara Schuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-schuster/) > [Old things need not be therefore true, O brother men, nor yet the new; Ah! still awhile the old thought retain, And yet consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/old-things-need-not-be-therefore-true-o-brother-men-nor-yet-the-new/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [“It is as simple as that. Birds fly because they have wings and so when you can’t grow the wings, you can’t be called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/it-is-as-simple-as-that-birds-fly-because-they-have-wings-and-so-when/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Repentance is a realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/repentance-is-a-realization-that-what-god-wants-from-you-and-what-you/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Naming one thing after another cannot, logically, increase the chances of the new thing turning out like the old thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-beauman/naming-one-thing-after-another-cannot-logically-increase-the-chances/) [Ned Beauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-beauman/) > [“Passion makes a person stop eating, sleeping, working, feeling at peace. A lot of people are frightened because, when it appear, it demolishes all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/passion-makes-a-person-stop-eating-sleeping-working-feeling-at-peace/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Sometimes I don't fully accept it. It's tough. I miss doing old things. I miss shooting hoops with my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bauman/sometimes-i-don-t-fully-accept-it-it-s-tough-i-miss-doing-old-things/) [Jeff Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bauman/) > [I continue to be interested in new things that seem old and old things that seem new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaquelin-t-robertson/i-continue-to-be-interested-in-new-things-that-seem-old-and-old/) [Jaquelin T. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaquelin-t-robertson/) > [“Nobody can understand the greatness of the thirteenth century, who does not realize that it was a great growth of new things produced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/nobody-can-understand-the-greatness-of-the-thirteenth-century-who/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Old things are better than new things, because they've got stories in them, Ethan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/old-things-are-better-than-new-things-because-they-ve-got-stories-in/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“A long time ago I lived in Lisbon,' she said, in softly slurred Portuguese that made the name of the city Leesh-boa. 'But before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kuttner/a-long-time-ago-i-lived-in-lisbon-she-said-in-softly-slurred/) [Henry Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kuttner/) > [Besides, old ladies are always right. That's how they get to be so old. It's one of those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kelsey/besides-old-ladies-are-always-right-that-s-how-they-get-to-be-so-old/) [Ian Kelsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kelsey/) > [... a gaggle of old ladies is glued to the window at the end of the hall like children or jailbirds. They're spidery and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/a-gaggle-of-old-ladies-is-glued-to-the-window-at-the-end-of-the-hall/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [ You are \[as an actor\] aware that you don't want to repeat stuff, but you want to use what has worked. 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