Steinbeck quote

[James A. Landau]

Barry Popik quoted William Safire:

<q>Here’s one for the next edition, submitted by Esther Lafair of
Philadelphia, in belated  answer to my query this spring, not originating in a John Wayne film after all. In his  1939 Depression-era novel “The  Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck has his character Pa Joad say to  Uncle John a gritty line that the actor Wayne later made part of American  folklore: “A fella got to do what he got to do.” </q>

It may have been in "Grapes of Wrath" (1939) but it appeared in either the book (1937) or the stage (date unknown) verison of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men", or very likely both.  The quote is important to the story, as (if I remember correctly, I don't have either version) Slim (?) says this to the protagonist as part of a speech in which he directs the protagonist to take the action that immediately leads to the climax of the book.

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Don Foster, in "Author Unknown: Tales of a Literary Detective"

[hardback Henry Holt and Co.; 1st ed edition (November 8, 2000)ISBN: 0805063579 paperback Owl Books; 2nd Rep edition (October 1, 2001) ISBN: 0805068120]

argues that "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was written not by Clement Moore, to whom it is usually attributed, but rather to a Scots-Dutch Revolutionary War major, Henry Livingston Jr.

    - Jim Landau



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