"It has always seemed strange to me... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second"

This quote by John Steinbeck speaks with the paradox of success in our society. He recommends that the qualities we admire in individuals, such as kindness, generosity, openness, honesty, understanding, and sensation, are not rewarded in our system. Rather, the characteristics we detest, such as sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism, and self-interest, are the ones that lead to success. This is an unfortunate truth, as it indicates that those who are kind and generous are not rewarded for their habits, while those who are self-centered and greedy are rewarded for theirs. This quote speaks to the requirement for a shift in our worths, so that those who are kind and generous are rewarded for their behavior, and those who are self-centered and greedy are not.