100 Top & Most Popular Ernest Hemingway Quotes

1. “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
2. “I know now that there is no one thing that is true – it is all true.”
3. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
4. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
5. “The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.”
6. “As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
7. “All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.”
8. “All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”
9. “I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.”
10. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
11. “Never confuse movement with action.”
12. “The only true writing is writing for yourself.”
13. “The most important thing a writer can do is to write.”
14. “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”
15. “In writing, you must kill your darlings.”
16. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
17. “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
18. “The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
19. “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”
20. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
21. “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”
22. “All things truly wicked start from innocence.”
23. “I’m always in love.”
24. “When writing a novel, a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.”
25. “I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”
26. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”
27. “I drink to make other people more interesting.”
28. “In writing, you must persuade the reader that you know what you’re talking about.”
29. “The best way to learn about writing is to write.”
30. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
31. “The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”
32. “The best way to teach anything is by example.”
33. “As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
34. “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector.”
35. “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.”

36. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
37. “Courage is grace under pressure.”
38. “The shortest answer is doing.”
39. “I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.”
40. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
41. “All things truly wicked start from innocence.”
42. “The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
43. “The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.”
44. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
45. “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
46. “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
47. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
48. “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
49. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
50. “I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna keep it that way.”
51. “The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”
52. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
53. “Never confuse movement with action.”
54. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
55. “As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
56. “I’m always in love.”
57. “I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.”
58. “There’s nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
59. “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
60. “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”
61. “All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”
62. “In writing, you must kill your darlings.”
63. “The most important thing a writer can do is to write.”
64. “The best way to learn about writing is to write.”
65. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
66. “The only true writing is writing for yourself.”
67. “All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.”

68. “The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.”
69. “I’m not brave any more darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me.”
70. “The sun also sets.”
71. “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”
72. “All thinking men are atheists.”
73. “No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.”
74. “What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.”
75. “All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”
76. “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
77. “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”
78. “The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector.”
79. “When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead.”
80. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
81. “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.”
82. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
83. “If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing.”
84. “I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.”
85. “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
86. “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
87. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
88. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”
89. “I’m always in love.”
90. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
91. “I’m a writer because the blank page is always full of possibilities.”
92. “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”
93. “The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.”
94. “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”
95. “Never confuse movement with action.”
96. “The best way to learn about writing is to write.”
97. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
98. “All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you.”
99. “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
100. “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”

FAQs:

Who was Ernest Hemingway?

Ernest Hemingway was an American author who lived from 1899 to 1961. He is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, known for his spare, economical writing style and his depictions of life during wartime.

What were some of Ernest Hemingway’s most famous works?

Some of Ernest Hemingway’s most famous works include “The Sun Also Rises,” “A Farewell to Arms,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “The Old Man and the Sea.”

What were some of the major themes in Ernest Hemingway’s writing?

Ernest Hemingway’s writing often focused on themes such as masculinity, war, love, and the search for meaning in life. He was known for his spare, economical prose style and his ability to convey complex emotions through simple language.

What was Ernest Hemingway’s background?

Ernest Hemingway was born in Illinois and spent much of his childhood in Michigan. He served as an ambulance driver during World War I and later worked as a journalist before becoming a full-time writer.

What was Ernest Hemingway’s impact on American literature?

Ernest Hemingway had a significant impact on American literature, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s. He was part of the “Lost Generation” of writers who rejected the traditional values of American society and sought to create a new, modern literary style.

Was Ernest Hemingway involved in any controversies?

Ernest Hemingway was sometimes controversial, particularly for his portrayal of women in his writing. He was also criticized for his political views, particularly his support for the Spanish Republican government during the Spanish Civil War.

Did Ernest Hemingway receive any major awards or honors?

Ernest Hemingway received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature.

What was Ernest Hemingway’s writing process?

Ernest Hemingway was known for his disciplined approach to writing. He believed in the importance of rewriting and revising his work extensively, and he often wrote in short, concentrated bursts.

Did Ernest Hemingway have any major influences on his writing?

Ernest Hemingway was influenced by a wide range of writers, including Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was also influenced by his experiences as a soldier and a journalist.

What is the legacy of Ernest Hemingway?

Ernest Hemingway’s writing continues to be widely read and studied today, and his spare, economical prose style continues to be influential. He is remembered as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, and his work continues to inspire new generations of writers.