--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of my favorite things I read was John…" description: "\"One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which was so cool.\" — Paul Dano" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg" --- # One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's… ![“One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which was so cool.” quote by Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg) > “One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which was so cool.” [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading Steinbeck's personal notes reveals how his creative process intertwined with his novel's themes. **In simple terms:** Steinbeck's journals show his creative process. Key Takeaway Explore authors' journals for insight. Themes creativity literature personal reflection Mood curious reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - literary research - writing workshops - personal growth - historical study Key Concepts creative process authorial insight Questions to Reflect On - How do personal notes affect interpretation of a novel? - What can we learn about an author's mindset? A Different Perspective Journals may not represent final work fully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cool/) [East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east/) [East Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east-eden-1565028/) [East of eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/east-of-eden/) [Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eden/) [Favorite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite/) [Favorite thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-thing/) [Favorite things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-things/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-steinbeck/) [Journals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journals/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steinbeck/) [Steinbeck Journals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steinbeck-journals-5942107/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-east-5942108/) ## Related quotes > [“Tom felt his darkness. His father was beautiful and clever, his mother was short and mathematically sure. Each of his brothers and sisters had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/tom-felt-his-darkness-his-father-was-beautiful-and-clever-his-mother/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [ I don't think there is a single sentence in this whole book \[East of Eden\] that does not either develop character, carry on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-don-t-think-there-is-a-single-sentence-in-this-whole-book-east-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Rachel Ries is a wonderful singer/performer/songwriter who writes her music with a literary and poetic style. In an interview with Amanda Miller for Rumpus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ries/rachel-ries-is-a-wonderful-singer-performer-songwriter-who-writes-her/) [Rachel Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ries/) > [In East of Eden, John Steinbeck wrote that there's never been a great creative collaboration. When the Beatles first burst on the scene, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/in-east-of-eden-john-steinbeck-wrote-that-there-s-never-been-a-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“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 Paul Dano > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Some projects go as you hope or imagine, and some change or reveal themselves in a different way; it depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/some-projects-go-as-you-hope-or-imagine-and-some-change-or-reveal/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I try to leave my work at the door when I leave the set. It's almost like summer camp. You go in hard, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-try-to-leave-my-work-at-the-door-when-i-leave-the-set-it-s-almost/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I dont normally like getting dressed up, but when I go to events, I like to look put together. Ive got to say, getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-dont-normally-like-getting-dressed-up-but-when-i-go-to-events-i/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Nobody is a perfect actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/nobody-is-a-perfect-actor/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The better the acting is, the harder it is to see what the process is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/the-better-the-acting-is-the-harder-it-is-to-see-what-the-process-is/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ If you could call me buff, my version of buff was when I finished that film \[Swiss Army Man\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/if-you-could-call-me-buff-my-version-of-buff-was-when-i-finished-that/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The only constant I can find is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/the-only-constant-i-can-find-is-hard-work/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I went to tranny bars and kind of got used to being around that and then getting dressed up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-went-to-tranny-bars-and-kind-of-got-used-to-being-around-that-and/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ I'm really excited to share the movie \[Swiss Army Man\] with people, so I'm glad that people are seeing it. And I want them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-m-really-excited-to-share-the-movie-swiss-army-man-with-people-so-i/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I want to do some bigger films, so long as there's some sort of exciting creative element or a good filmmaker behind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-want-to-do-some-bigger-films-so-long-as-there-s-some-sort-of/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [As an actor, I always feel you basically have to be able to delude yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/as-an-actor-i-always-feel-you-basically-have-to-be-able-to-delude/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [People have asked me about playing outsiders. I don't consider myself an outsider. Maybe that's why I'm interested in that. I'm not really sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/people-have-asked-me-about-playing-outsiders-i-don-t-consider-myself/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) [Explore all 160 Paul Dano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which was so cool.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Dano" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-john-steinbeck-s-journals-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-john-steinbeck-s-journals-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/paul-dano-2579_books_one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-joh_1575990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck's journals while he was writing 'East of Eden,' which…” — Paul Dano", "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": "Paul Dano", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of my favorite things I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-john-steinbeck-s-journals-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/one-of-my-favorite-things-i-read-was-john-steinbeck-s-journals-while/#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 } } ] } ```