John Steinbeck was the author of such classics as The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men.



On Teaching”
by John Steinbeck
“…School is not so easy and it not for the most part very fun, but then, if you are very lucky, you may find a teacher. Three real teachers in a lifetime is the very best of luck. I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are other great artists. Teaching might even be the greater of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.
My three had these things in common. They all loved what they were doing. They 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 all, the truth, that dangerous stuff, became beautiful and precious.”

(thanks to Dave Master for digging this up.)