Chapters 11-15 (D) Quote that hits home.

In Chapter 14 of The Grapes of Wrath, those who live in the west, mainly California, become worried about the migrants all coming at once. They are not used to change so they become anxious. There are families everywhere, on the side of the road, in ditches and the westerners are afraid that they might unite and revolt. They are also afraid that the migrants will take their jobs. One quote that stood out to me is in Chapter 14:
"The last clear definite function of man—muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need—this is man. To build a wall, to build a house, a dam, and in the wall and house and dam to put something of Manself, and to Manself take back something of the wall, the house the dam; to take hard muscles from the lifting, to take the clear lines and form from conceiving. For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments" (150).
This quote has an effect on me because of what I believe it means. When read, it sounds almost biblical and similar to a man who toils, the labor builds him as a human, as man. Humans always want to work, to build and make something that will benefit them and make life easier. Man strive to be excellent and loves what he does and having that passion and desire to show the world what he can do, to leave his legacy behind for everyone to remember him by is fascinating. I want to be able to find something that I'm passionate about and do it and hopefully help others. I want to do something so amazing that people will remember my name and what I've accomplished. To accomplish something that will change people's lives in a positive will be the most self satisfactory thing I could do in this world. There's this purpose everyone feels to create something, is what everyone wants besides the basic necessities. He is saying that humans can go far and achieve many things and to achieve greatness. I really believe that humans can go "beyond his work" and are not defined by what they DO or what they HAVE done. People have the capability of doing things that will change the world and things that can change people's lives and it's in our nature to want to create something, to do something.