Chapter 1- Drought and dust storm

Chapter 1 Quotes

“The surface of the earth crusted, a thin hard crust, and as the sky became pale, so the earth became pale, pink in the red country and white in the gray country.”

“The air was thin and the sky was more pale; and every day the earth paled.”

“Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air; a dust as high as the fence tops, and an automobile boiled a cloud behind it. The dust was long in settling back again.”

“Little by little the sky was darkened by the mixing dust, and the wind felt over the earth, loosened the dust, and carried it away. The wind grew stronger.”

“Men and women huddled in their houses, and they tied handkerchief over their noses when they went out, and wore goggles to protect their eyes.”

Chapter 5- Families evicted from property by owners

Chapter 5 Quotes

In Intercalary chapter 5, Lange compares the bank and companies to a monster.

“A bank or company can’t do that, because those creatures breathe air, don’t eat side meat. They breathe profits, they eat the interest on money”

“Sure, cried the tenant man, but its our land. We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, we got killed on it, died on it. Even if its no good, its still ours.”

“We’re sorry. It’s not us. It’s the monster. The bank isn't like a man. The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It’s the monster. Men made it, but they cant control it.”

Chapter 14- Change; eviction; struggles of migrants

Chapter 29- Rain storms and related struggles

Chapter 12: Highway 66

Chapter 11 Quotes

"So easy, that the wonder goes out of the work, so efficient that the wonder goes out of the land and the working of it, and with the wonder the deep understanding and the relation.” pg. 147

"That man who is more than his elements knows the land that is more than its analysis. But the machine man, driving the dead tractor on land he does not know and love, understands only chemistry.” pg. 148

"The houses were vacant, and a vacant house falls quickly apart.” pg. 149

Chapter 11: Vacant Houses

Chapter 12 Quotes

"66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking land, from the thunder of tractors and invasion, from the twisting winds that howl up out of Texas, from floods that bring no richness to the land and steal what little richness is there.” pg. 150

"Fella in business got to lie an' cheat, but he calls it somepin else...You go steal that tire an' you're a thief, but he tried to steal your four dollars for a busted tire. They call that sound business.”, pg. 154

"refire the faith forever.” pg. 155