Context

This line is spoken by Carlson in the novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck (1937).

First lines in books get a lot of attention. Sure we love "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" as much as the next reader, but there's something about last lines that really leave us feeling satisfied.

This quote is pretty famous, in part because it's the last line to Of Mice and Men. Otherwise, it sounds like a pretty inconsequential piece of dialogue, right?

It comes right after George has shot his best friend, Lennie. See, Curley and his gang were out looking for Lennie because Lennie had accidently killed Curley's wife. Oops. If Curley had gotten a hold of him, things would have been a whole lot worse for Lennie. So what George did was actually a kindness. But that doesn't mean he feels good about it.

The guys are all standing around looking at Lennie's dead body and only Slim really understands how bad George feels. Carlson, who's a pretty self-absorbed meanie just doesn't get it. Hey, what's wrong with George? Sure, he just shot his best friend in the head, but why does he look so down about it? Wow, Carlson.

Lennie, meanwhile, is hopefully running around some beautiful farm way up in the sky tending to rabbits. Hey, we can dream, can't we?

Where you've heard it

This might be one of the best last lines in literature, so you'll probably hear people giving it lots of kudos in that department.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Drop this quote anytime to seem folksy and down to earth. Just, whatever you do, please don't use it at a funeral or crime scene. Seriously, don't be a Carlson. No one likes a Carlson.