John Steinbeck on Falling in Love: A 1958 Letter

"The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone -- there is no possible harm in saying so -- only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration..."

"It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another -- but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good."

"...And don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens -- The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."