“
Lennie begged, "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now."
"Sure right now. I gotta. We gotta.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Lennie said quietly, "It ain't no lie. We're gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
I ain't got no people. I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time. . . 'Course Lennie's a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Lives in stories have direction and meaning. Even stupid, meaningless lives, like Lenny's in "Of Mice and Men," Acquire through their places in a story at least the dignity and meaning of being Stupid, Meaningless Lives, the consolation of being exemplars of something. In real life you do not get even that.
”
”
Sam Savage (Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife)
“
Lennie rolled off the bunk and stood up, and the two of them started for the door. Just as they reached it, Curley bounced in.
"You seen a girl around here?" he demanded angrily.
George said coldly, "'Bout half an hour ago maybe."
"Well, what the hell was she doin'?"
George stood still, watching the angry little man. He said insultingly, "She said--she was lookin' for you."
Curley seemed really to see George for the first time. His eyes flashed over George, took in his height, measured his reach, looked at his trim middle. "Well, which way'd she go?" he demanded at last.
"I dunno," said George. "I didn't watch her go."
Curley scowled at him, and turning, hurried out the door.
George said, "Ya know, Lennie, I'm scared I'm gonna tangle with that bastard myself. I hate his guts. Jesus Christ! Come on. There won't be a damn thing left to eat.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in a irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
But George sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his right hand that had thrown the gun away. The group burst into the clearing, and Curley was ahead. He saw Lennie lying on the sand. “Got him, by God.” He went over and looked down at Lennie, and then he looked back at George. “Right in the back of the head,” he said softly.
Slim came directly to George and sat down beside him, sat very close to him. “Never you mind,” said Slim. “A guy got to sometimes.”
But Carlson was standing over George.
“How’d you do it?” he asked.
“I just done it,” George said tiredly.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
cause I got you and you got me"
-Lennie Small
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
The one more or less behind Le Chiffre’s right arm was tall and funereal in his dinner-jacket. His face was wooden and grey, but his eyes flickered and gleamed like a conjurer’s. His whole long body was restless and his hands shifted often on the brass rail. Bond guessed that he would kill without interest or concern for what he killed and that he would prefer strangling. He had something of Lennie in Of Mice and Men, but his inhumanity would not come from infantilism but from drugs. Marihuana, decided Bond.
”
”
Ian Fleming (Casino Royale (James Bond, #1))
“
She couldn’t see the benefit of bringing him along. He stuck out like a sore thumb, and standing beside Jake he reminded her of Lennie Small from the film Of Mice and Men — except for the fact that he had a samurai sword attached to his back, ninja stars across the front of his chest and a gun in hand.
”
”
Jack Hunt (Strain (The Agora Virus, #3))
“
George’s voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” Lennie was delighted. “That’s it—that’s it.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Well, he better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain’t no fighter, but Lennie’s strong and quick and Lennie don’t know no rules.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
- Les types comme nous, qui travaillent dans les ranches, y a pas plus seul au monde. Ils ont pas de famille. Ils ont pas de chez soi. Ils vont dans un ranch, ils y font un peu d'argent, et puis ils vont en ville et ils le dépensent tout... et pas plus tôt fini, les v'la à s'échiner dans un autre ranch. Ils ont pas de futur devant eux.
Lennie était ravi.
- C'est ça... c'est ça. Maintenant, raconte comment c'est pour nous.
Georges continua :
- Pour nous, c'est pas comme ça. Nous, on a un futur. On a quelqu'un à qui parler, qui s'intéresse à nous. On a pas besoin de s'asseoir dans un bar pour dépenser son pèze, parce qu'on n'a pas d'autre endroit où aller. Si les autres types vont en prison, ils peuvent bien y crever, tout le monde s'en fout. Mais pas nous.
Lennie intervint.
- Mais pas nous ! Et pourquoi ? Parce que... parce que moi, j'ai toi pour t'occuper de moi, et toi, t'as moi pour m'occuper de toi, et c'est pour ça.
Il éclata d'un rire heureux.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Gradually Lennie's interest came around to what was being said. 'George says we're gonna have alfalfa for the rabbits.'
'What rabbits?'
'We're gonna have rabbits an' a berry patch.'
'You're nuts.'
'We are too. You ast George.'
'You're nuts.' Crooks was scornful. 'I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's jus' in their head.'
He paused and looked toward the open door, for the horses were moving restlessly and the halter chains clinked. A horse whinnied. 'I guess somebody's out there,' Crooks said. 'Maybe Slim. Slim comes in sometimes two, three times a night. Slim's a real skinner. He looks out for his team.' He pulled himself painfully upright and moved toward the door.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
We should have smashed through the door long ago,” grunted Thor. Everyone had always thought of Thor as Lennie from Of Mice and Men: too big and too slow. The chief difference being that while Lenny accidentally hugged little animals to death, Thor had a penchant for beating the shit out of them with his war hammer, Mjolnir.
”
”
Dylan Callens (Operation Cosmic Teapot)
“
Some men called them Lenny and George, referring to the Steinbeck characters in Of Mice and Men. There might be some truth to it—Cal was big and impossibly strong—but where Lenny had a gentleness, Cal had none. He was a rock, both physically and emotionally. He could indeed kill a rabbit by petting it, but he wouldn’t care much. But
”
”
Harlan Coben (The Innocent)
“
George’s voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” Lennie was delighted. “That’s it—that’s it. Now tell how it is with us.” George went on. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He laughed delightedly. “Go on now, George!
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Lennie breathed hard. “You jus’ let ’em try to get the rabbits. I’ll break their God damn necks. I’ll . . . . I’ll smash ’em with a stick.” He subsided, grumbling to himself, threatening the future cats which might dare to disturb the future rabbits.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
But Lennie made an elaborate pantomime of innocence...
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
You never give a thought to George,” she went on in Lennie’s voice. “He been doin’ nice things for you alla time. When he got a piece a pie you always got half or more’n half. An’ if they was any ketchup, why he’d give it all to you.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Lennie put his hands over his ears. “He ain’t, I tell ya he ain’t.” And he cried, “Oh! George—George—George!” George came quietly out of the brush and the rabbit scuttled back into Lennie’s brain. George said quietly, “What the hell you yellin’ about?” Lennie got up on his knees. “You ain’t gonna leave me, are ya, George? I know you ain’t.” George came stiffly near and sat down beside him. “No.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand. Slim and Carlson bent over him. Then Slim straightened up and regarded Lennie with horror. “We got to get him in to a doctor,” he said. “Looks to me like ever’ bone in his han’ is bust.” “I didn’t wanta,” Lennie cried. “I didn’t wanta hurt him.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie’s hand came a muffled screaming. Lennie began to cry with fright. “Oh! Please don’t do none of that,” he begged. “George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits.” He moved his hand a little and her hoarse cry came out. Then Lennie grew angry. “Now don’t,” he said. “I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.” And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. “Don’t you go yellin’,” he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
a damn about us. We don’t have to sit-in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He laughed delightedly. “Go on now, George!
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)
“
No,” said George. “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.
”
”
John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men)