How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Seems like to me there's something not finished. Seems like when you half finish a job and can't think what it was. Something didn't get done." (4.2.12)
Um, creepy. And ominous. And probably foreshadowing. The thing about unfinished business is that it needs to be finished—this is the fate part of fate and free will. Because this is a novel, we know that whatever needs to get done will get done before the last page. And once it's established that Cal is Charles Part II, we know that Cal will be the one to finish it. So even though we've got all of this talk of choice floating around, there is still this sense of impending catastrophe.
Quote #2
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. (13.1.6)
It's clear from this passage that Steinbeck thinks individuality is pretty awesome. While this might at first sound like a sidetrack from the actual story, it actually fits into the whole idea of the freedom to choose our own destinies. In this case, Steinbeck is applying free will to creativity and art, and how it depends on the will of the individual (as opposed to anything dictated by a group).
Quote #3
"I believe when you come to that responsibility the hugeness and you are alone to make your choice. On one side you have warmth and companionship and sweet understanding, and on the other—cold, lonely greatness. There you make your choice. I'm glad I chose mediocrity, but how am I to say what reward might have come with the other? None of my children will be great either, except perhaps Tom. He's suffering over the choosing right now." (22.3.119)
It's interesting that Samuel sees greatness not as something that we are either born with or not, but something we choose to be. And it's not an easy choice, either—if being great was so easy, then everybody would be doing it. It has to come at some cost, and only happens to those who want it badly enough to give something up for it. So not being born a genius is no excuse. It's a very meritocratic way of thinking about things, but it also means that we all have the ability to be great—if we don't mind the cold loneliness, that is.