---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today's culture is unfortunately…"
description: "\"“Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic and military power. A ruling nation can impose its culture and give a worldwide fame to a s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg"
---

#  Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic…

![“Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic and military power. A ruling nation can impose its culture and give a worldwide fame to a second-rate writer like (Ernest Hemingway). (John Steinbeck) is important due to American guns. Had (John Dos Passos) and (William Faulkner) been…” quote by Luis Buñuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg)

> ““Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic and military power. A ruling nation can impose its culture and give a worldwide fame to a second-rate writer like (Ernest Hemingway). (John Steinbeck) is important due to American guns. Had (John Dos Passos) and (William Faulkner) been born in Paraguay or in Turkey, who'd read them?””

[Luis Buñuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Cultural dominance is tied to economic and military power, shaping which writers gain fame.

**In simple terms:** Power shapes cultural fame.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how power influences art.

Themes

culture power literature politics

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- publishing decisions
- global literary canon
- political influence

Key Concepts

hegemony colonialism censorship

Questions to Reflect On

- How does power affect which voices are heard?
- Can art resist political dominance?

A Different Perspective

Artistic merit can be ignored by power structures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [John Steinbeck is one of the most under-discussed and under-written-about of all American writers. He is way up there and should stand on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/john-steinbeck-is-one-of-the-most-under-discussed-and-under-written/)

[Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/)

> [I'm really influenced by Southern novelists, not many movie people. More like John Faulkner, William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, Flannery O'Connor, John Steinbeck, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-m-really-influenced-by-southern-novelists-not-many-movie-people/)

[Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/)

> [“He is the greatest artist the South has produced.… Indeed, through his many novels and short stories, Faulkner fights out the moral problem which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-is-the-greatest-artist-the-south-has-produced-indeed-through-his/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [“When I was sixteen I read ten books a week: E.E. Cummings, William Faulkner, Henry James, Hart Crane, John Steinbeck. I thought I progressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/when-i-was-sixteen-i-read-ten-books-a-week-e-e-cummings-william/)

[Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/)

> [“John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/john-steinbeck-once-said-that-socialism-never-took-root-in-america/)

[Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/)

> [How can I teach my boys the value and beauty of language and thus communication when the President himself reads westerns exclusively and cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/how-can-i-teach-my-boys-the-value-and-beauty-of-language-and-thus/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [My father, John Steinbeck, was a man who held human history in great reverence, and in particular the biographies of those people who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/my-father-john-steinbeck-was-a-man-who-held-human-history-in-great/)

[Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/)

> [I remember reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' in high school in 1983. My family had immigrated to the U.S. three years before, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-remember-reading-the-grapes-of-wrath-in-high-school-in-1983-my/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [I'm a big John Steinbeck fan. Cormac McCarthy. I've always loved the stories of regular people. Mark Twain, too. When you look back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-neff/i-m-a-big-john-steinbeck-fan-cormac-mccarthy-i-ve-always-loved-the/)

[Lucas Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-neff/)

> [I nearly always write just as I nearly always breathe. - John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-nearly-always-write-just-as-i-nearly-always-breathe-john-steinbeck/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [Maybe what I admired most about John Steinbeck is that he never mortgaged his 45-acre heart for a suite in an ivory tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/maybe-what-i-admired-most-about-john-steinbeck-is-that-he-never/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [One of the true pleasures of my life has been the work of John Steinbeck. He was one of the people who turned my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/one-of-the-true-pleasures-of-my-life-has-been-the-work-of-john/)

[Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/)

> [John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' also speaks urgently to today's concerns: the cratered trail of dreams for Mexican immigrants seeking a promised land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/john-steinbeck-s-the-grapes-of-wrath-also-speaks-urgently-to-today-s/)

[Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/)

> [John Steinbeck once wrote, 'Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/john-steinbeck-once-wrote-change-comes-like-a-little-wind-that/)

[Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/)

> [“They have the authority of ignorance and that is something you simply cannot combat.” – John Steinbeck”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/they-have-the-authority-of-ignorance-and-that-is-something-you-simply/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

## More by Luis Buñuel

> [Mystery is the essential element of every work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/mystery-is-the-essential-element-of-every-work-of-art/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [“Me decía: ¡habrían tenido que hacerme leer a Sade antes que todas las demás cosas!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/me-dec-a-habr-an-tenido-que-hacerme-leer-a-sade-antes-que-todas-las/)

[Luis Buñuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [If alcohol is queen, then tobacco is her consort. It's a fond companion for all occasions, a loyal friend through fair weather and foul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/if-alcohol-is-queen-then-tobacco-is-her-consort-it-s-a-fond-companion/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [“A life without memory is no life at all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/a-life-without-memory-is-no-life-at-all/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [A paranoiac, like a poet, is born, not made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/a-paranoiac-like-a-poet-is-born-not-made/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [God and Country are an unbeatable team; they break all records for oppression and bloodshed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/god-and-country-are-an-unbeatable-team-they-break-all-records-for/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [I'm still an atheist, thank God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/i-m-still-an-atheist-thank-god/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [Age is something that doesn't matter unless you're a cheese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/age-is-something-that-doesn-t-matter-unless-you-re-a-cheese/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [I think films are perishable, because they depend too much on technology, which advances too quickly and the films become old-fashioned, antiques. What I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/i-think-films-are-perishable-because-they-depend-too-much-on/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [The decline of the aperitif may well be one of the most depressing phenomena of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/the-decline-of-the-aperitif-may-well-be-one-of-the-most-depressing/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [The bar... is an exercise in solitude. Above all else, it must be quiet, dark, very comfortable-and, contrary to modern mores, no music of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/the-bar-is-an-exercise-in-solitude-above-all-else-it-must-be-quiet/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [I am an atheist, thanks be to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/i-am-an-atheist-thanks-be-to-god/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [I can only wait for the final amnesia, the one that can erase an entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/i-can-only-wait-for-the-final-amnesia-the-one-that-can-erase-an/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [Repeat, over and over again, in case anyone forgets it or believes the contrary, that we do not live in the best of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/repeat-over-and-over-again-in-case-anyone-forgets-it-or-believes-the/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

> [Salvador Dalí seduced many ladies, particularly American ladies, but these seductions usually consisted of stripping them naked in his apartment, frying a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/salvador-dal-seduced-many-ladies-particularly-american-ladies-but/)

[Luis Bunuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

[Explore all 57 Luis Buñuel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/)

## More Steinbeck quotes

> [“They have the authority of ignorance and that is something you simply cannot combat.” – John Steinbeck”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/they-have-the-authority-of-ignorance-and-that-is-something-you-simply/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [John Steinbeck once wrote, 'Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/john-steinbeck-once-wrote-change-comes-like-a-little-wind-that/)

[Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/)

> [John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' also speaks urgently to today's concerns: the cratered trail of dreams for Mexican immigrants seeking a promised land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/john-steinbeck-s-the-grapes-of-wrath-also-speaks-urgently-to-today-s/)

[Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/)

> [One of the true pleasures of my life has been the work of John Steinbeck. He was one of the people who turned my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/one-of-the-true-pleasures-of-my-life-has-been-the-work-of-john/)

[Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/)

> [Maybe what I admired most about John Steinbeck is that he never mortgaged his 45-acre heart for a suite in an ivory tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/maybe-what-i-admired-most-about-john-steinbeck-is-that-he-never/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [I nearly always write just as I nearly always breathe. - John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-nearly-always-write-just-as-i-nearly-always-breathe-john-steinbeck/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“But the not-very-highbrow truth of the matter was that the reading was how I got my ya-yas out. For the sake of my bookish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/but-the-not-very-highbrow-truth-of-the-matter-was-that-the-reading/)

[Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/)

> [I'm a big John Steinbeck fan. Cormac McCarthy. I've always loved the stories of regular people. Mark Twain, too. When you look back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-neff/i-m-a-big-john-steinbeck-fan-cormac-mccarthy-i-ve-always-loved-the/)

[Lucas Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-neff/)

> [“We all have that heritage, no matter what old land our fathers left. All colors and blends of Americans have somewhat the same tendencies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/we-all-have-that-heritage-no-matter-what-old-land-our-fathers-left/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Thou art a peanut.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/thou-art-a-peanut/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I remember reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' in high school in 1983. My family had immigrated to the U.S. three years before, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-remember-reading-the-grapes-of-wrath-in-high-school-in-1983-my/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [“I tended to fall in love with characters in books. Most guys I went to school with were far too interested in sports or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-haddad/i-tended-to-fall-in-love-with-characters-in-books-most-guys-i-went-to/)

Trisha Haddad

> [My father, John Steinbeck, was a man who held human history in great reverence, and in particular the biographies of those people who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/my-father-john-steinbeck-was-a-man-who-held-human-history-in-great/)

[Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/)

> [“I wish wish I could steal the intricacies of language. But give my kids a break—remember, most of them were fed on Steinbeck’s The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-wish-wish-i-could-steal-the-intricacies-of-language-but-give-my/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [How can I teach my boys the value and beauty of language and thus communication when the President himself reads westerns exclusively and cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/how-can-i-teach-my-boys-the-value-and-beauty-of-language-and-thus/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

Browse all 51 Steinbeck quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic and military power. A ruling nation can impose its culture and give a worldwide fame to a second-rate writer like (Ernest Hemingway). (John Steinbeck) is important due to American guns. Had (John Dos Passos) and (William Faulkner) been born in Paraguay or in Turkey, who'd read them?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Luis Buñuel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-inseparable-from-economic-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Steinbeck"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-inseparable-from-economic-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/luis-bunuel-9740_steinbeck_today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-insepar_2583135.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from economic and military power. A ruling nation can impose…” — Luis Buñuel",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Luis Buñuel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-bunuel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Today's culture is unfortunately inseparable from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-inseparable-from-economic-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-bunuel/today-s-culture-is-unfortunately-inseparable-from-economic-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
