Quotes from Ernest Hemingway

This was omitted on my new theory that you could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted part would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood.

When I saw her I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me.

Something, or something awful or something wonderful was certain to happen on every day in this part of Africa.

The fish is my friend too, he said aloud. I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.

I don't know, I said. There isn't always an explanation for everything. Oh, isn't there? I was brought up to think there was. That's awfully nice.

We both touched wood on the cafe table and the waiter came to see what it was we wanted. But what we wanted he, nor anyone else, nor knocking on wood or on marble, as this cafe table-top was, could ever bring us. But we did not know it that night and we were very happy.

Good. I go. And if thou dost not love me, I love thee enough for both.

When we came back to Paris it was clear and cold and lovely.

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

You know you're writing well when you're throwing good stuff into the wastebasket.

There are the two curses of Spain, the bulls and the priests.

I obscenity in the milk of my shame.

The more I'm let alone and not worried the better I can function.

Writing is something that you can never do as well as it can be done. It is a perpetual challenge and it is more difficult than anything else that I have ever done—so I do it. And it makes me happy when I do it well.

Everything is on such a clear financial basis in France. It is the simplest country to live in. No one makes things complicated by becoming your friend for any obscure reason. If you want people to like you you have only to spend a little money.

Out of all the things you could not have there were some that you could have and one of those was to know when you were happy and to enjoy all of it while it was there and it was good.

What kind of a hand is that,' he said. 'Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good.

He knew too what it was to live through a hurricane with the other people of the island and the bond that the hurricane made between all people who had been through it. He also knew that hurricanes could be so bad that nothing could live through them.

You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?

They arrested us after breakfast.

If he lived by a lie he should try to die by it

And chase hard and good and with no mistakes and do not overrun them.

I wish I did not think about it so much, he thought.

There had been too much emotion, too much damage, too much of everything.