35 Ernest Hemingway Quotes on Love, War, and Life That Offer Solace
a month ago
6 min read

35 Ernest Hemingway Quotes on Love, War, and Life That Offer Solace

A unique style of writing is what Ernest Hemingway is mostly known for. These Ernest Hemingway quotes will make you ponder upon how Hemingway was different from all writers we know. He has an element of iconic writing ranging from love to war covering the life that’s in between. He is also noted to be among one of America’s greatest writers. His sentences are short and simple with so much meaning and depth. 

Much of Ernest Hemingway’s quotes were inspired by the war and his characters embody his own values and way of thinking — intense masculinity and confidence that harmoniously coexist with sensitivity. Based on this he created a set of principles known as the ‘Code Hero’ which he defined as a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.’

Ernest Hemingway’s quotes had inspired the writings of many American writers in the 20th century. His most famous works including ‘A farewell to arms’ and ‘The old man and the sea’ give us a glimpse of the kind of life he lived. You will be delighted to read a collection that has restored all the wonderful insights Hemingway has to offer. Without further ado, here are 35 of the best quotes by Ernest Hemingway.

Set of Inspiring quotes from Ernest Hemingway: 

1. But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.

We often come across quotes such as ‘Don’t give up’ and ‘Failure is the stepping stone to success’ and that’s so because a man is just not made to give up so easily. This Ernest Hemingway quote says that a man may be destroyed to bits and pieces but he is just not made for defeat! Every time you feel you can’t do it anymore, hustle harder. There is no easy way for sure, we just choose the time of our struggle. 

2. There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.

3. There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.

The rise of nobility is an understated factor for the best of this world. However only if we know and understand that the race we are running for decades is not ours, maybe we can realize that this Ernest Hemingway quote reaches for depth in two lines. The real comparison lies between you and your former self. A race is easy to run with others until it becomes a marathon and your biggest competitor is your own self.

4. The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

We are all made of some broken pieces that shatter within us without the reach of the strength. We are a result of our opinions, our mistakes, our cracks, and the lights that we’ve decorated on our broken pieces. Let this Ernest Hemingway quote be a reminder for you to look at this world through the lens of strength and courage that fights inner battles everyday!

5. Courage is grace under pressure.

This is definitely one of my most favorite among them Ernest Hemingway quotes. The beauty and the truth that’s complied in five words making just one sentence that speaks volumes.

6. I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

7. Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

8. I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?

Loving the life we live is essential but it doesn’t come easy. A lot of effort goes into the love and care for oneself before anyone else. Sometimes things fall apart. They break and it makes no sense. This Ernest Hemingway quote talks more about how its life’s tendency to fall apart, by sometimes falling into the right place.

9. Never mistake motion for action.

10. There is no lonelier man in death, except the suicide, than that man who has lived many years with a good wife and then outlived her. If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it.

11. All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.

12. The shortest answer is doing the thing.

13. Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

14. What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.

15. As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.

16. I know now that there is no one thing that is true - it is all true.

17. The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.

18. The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.

19. The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.

20. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.

21. There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.

22. Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry: Worry never fixes anything.

23. Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.

24. It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.

25. There is no friend as loyal as a book.

26. The first draft of anything is shit.

Maybe this is the reminder you need for the day. You need to identify yourself as a caretaker for who needs you the most- yourself. On this journey with all these new things, remember you needn’t be perfect. Remember this Ernest Hemingway quote a benchmark to never give up on your dreams just because the trial is bad. It will always be bad before it can be any good. 

27. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.

The wise old sages have one thing to say in common. Truth saves us all. Truth is the answer. And as this Ernest Hemingway quote suggests, write. Just write what you find to be true. People pretend to the world but it’s by the power of truth they will relate to you. Judge you even, but the truth, it’s a good thing to write. 

28. The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.

29. As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.

30. In order to write about life first, you must live it.

31. The hard part about writing a novel is finishing it.

32. When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.

33. Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the Romance of the unusual.

34. When you start to live outside yourself, it's all dangerous

35. You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering. 

Some words give you insight and some rare ones give you power. These Ernest Hemingway quotes are of the second kind. They ignite the spark within you to learn and grow. To be kind and humane. To give love and gratitude. Each Ernest Hemingway quote has a story to tell, chosen carefully to guide and fight along the way. 

Ernest Hemingway was a brave and diverse personality who saw the best in people. This quality of his, shines itself in his quotes empowering everyone who reads them. His legendary work in short stories and his famous novels continues to inspire writers till date. We hope you enjoyed this collection of 35 Ernest Hemingway quotes that we have put together for you!

Read More:

Explore: Feeding Trends | Events