Who said “Even while I protest the assembly-line production of our food, our songs, our language,…”?

Verified

John Steinbeck. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceTravels With Charley: In Search of America (1962)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Even while I protest the assembly-line production of our food, our songs, our language, and eventually our souls, I know that it was a rare home that baked good bread in the old days. Mother's cooking was with rare exceptions poor, that good unpasteurized milk touched only by flies and bits of manure crawled with bacteria, the healthy old-time life was riddled with aches, sudden death from unknown causes, and that sweet local speech I mourn was the child of illiteracy and ignorance. It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge in time, to protest against change, particularly change for the better.”
VerifiedTravels With Charley: In Search of America (1962) · evidenceNostalgia

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Travels With Charley: In Search of America (1962).

APA

Steinbeck, J. (n.d.). Even while I protest the assembly-line production of our food, our songs, our language, and eventually our souls, I know that it was a rare home that baked good bread in the old days. Mother's cooking was with rare exceptions poor, that good unpasteurized milk touched only by flies and bits of manure crawled with bacteria, the healthy old-time life was riddled with aches, sudden death from unknown causes, and that sweet local speech I mourn was the child of illiteracy and ignorance. It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge in time, to protest against change, particularly change for the better. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14763-even-while-i-protest-the-assembly-line-production/

MLA

Steinbeck, John. “Even while I protest the assembly-line production of our food, our songs, our language, and eventually our souls, I know that it was a rare home that baked good bread in the old days. Mother's cooking was with rare exceptions poor, that good unpasteurized milk touched only by flies and bits of manure crawled with bacteria, the healthy old-time life was riddled with aches, sudden death from unknown causes, and that sweet local speech I mourn was the child of illiteracy and ignorance. It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge in time, to protest against change, particularly change for the better.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14763-even-while-i-protest-the-assembly-line-production/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Steinbeck, John. “Even while I protest the assembly-line production of our food, our songs, our language, and eventually our souls, I know that it was a rare home that baked good bread in the old days. Mother's cooking was with rare exceptions poor, that good unpasteurized milk touched only by flies and bits of manure crawled with bacteria, the healthy old-time life was riddled with aches, sudden death from unknown causes, and that sweet local speech I mourn was the child of illiteracy and ignorance. It is the nature of a man as he grows older, a small bridge in time, to protest against change, particularly change for the better.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/14763-even-while-i-protest-the-assembly-line-production/.