Ernest Hemingway was one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century, celebrated for his distinctive prose style, adventurous spirit, and enduring contributions to literature. Born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway began his career as a journalist before turning to fiction, where his terse, economical style revolutionized modern storytelling.
His works, including classics such as The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, and For Whom the Bell Tolls, showcase a deep exploration of courage, loss, and the human condition. Hemingway’s writing, often inspired by his own experiences in war, travel, and sport, resonated with readers around the world and cemented his place in literary history.
In 1954, Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a crowning achievement recognizing both his mastery of the art of narration and the profound influence of his work. He also received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea.
Beyond his accolades, Hemingway lived an extraordinary life-serving as an ambulance driver in World War I, reporting from the front lines of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and hunting big game in Africa. His legacy endures not only in his literature but also in the mythos of his adventurous persona and the timeless impact of his voice in world letters.
“Never to go on trips with anyone you do not love.”
Ernest Hemingway (verified)
“Every day above earth is a good day.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one 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. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“How did you go bankrupt? Two ways, gradually and then suddenly.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“Now when a country does not pay its debts you cannot take its word on anything.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“My God what would a man do with a woman like that except worship her?”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)“Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. It’s been that way all this year. It’s been that way so many times. All of this war is that way.”
— Ernest Hemingway (verified)More quotes by Ernest Hemingway →
⭐️ The Sun Also Rises (1926)
Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, published in 1926, is a seminal novel of the Lost Generation—a term used to describe the disillusioned youth who came of age during and after World War I. Set primarily in Paris and Spain during the 1920s, the novel follows a group of American and British expatriates as they grapple with themes of aimlessness, love, masculinity, and the search for meaning in a fractured postwar world.
⭐️ A Farewell to Arms (1929)
A Farewell to Arms, published in 1929, is Ernest Hemingway’s semi-autobiographical novel set during World War I. It tells the poignant story of an American ambulance driver, Lieutenant Frederic Henry, serving in the Italian army, and his doomed love affair with a British nurse, Catherine Barkley. The novel explores themes of love and loss, the brutality and futility of war, and the struggle to find meaning in a chaotic, indifferent world.
Notes on the Next War (September 1, 1935)
In Notes on the Next War: A Serious Topical Letter, published in Esquire in 1935, Ernest Hemingway offers a dark, reflective, and ironically humorous meditation on the looming threat of another global conflict—what would eventually become World War II. Writing between the two world wars, Hemingway draws on his own harrowing experiences in World War I to critique the glorification of war and to expose its brutal psychological and physical costs.
⭐️ For Whom the Bell Tolls (October 21, 1940)
Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, published in 1940, is a powerful and introspective novel set during the Spanish Civil War. The story follows Robert Jordan, an American volunteer fighting with the anti-fascist Republican forces. As a dynamiter assigned to blow up a bridge critical to an upcoming Republican offensive, Jordan’s mission becomes a lens through which Hemingway explores themes of duty, sacrifice, love, death, and the complex nature of war.
⭐️ The Old Man and the Sea (September 1, 1952)
Ernest Hemingway’s novella The Old Man and the Sea is a poignant tale of resilience, dignity, and man’s relationship with nature. Published in 1952, it is one of Hemingway’s most celebrated works and was instrumental in securing him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
Telegram to President John F. Kennedy (1961)
Hemingway’s telegram to President John F. Kennedy shortly after Kennedy’s inaugural ceremonies.
A Man’s Credo (January, 1963)
This short essay on life philosophy, written by Ernest Hemingway, appeared in Playboy, January 1963.
⭐️ A Moveable Feast (December, 1964)
A Movable Feast is Ernest Hemingway’s posthumously published memoir, chronicling his years as a young writer in Paris during the 1920s. The book, composed of a series of vignettes and personal reflections, offers a vivid, nostalgic portrait of Hemingway’s bohemian lifestyle and his interactions with the literary and artistic community of the time. Rich in atmosphere and insight, the memoir captures both the hardships and exhilarations of a struggling writer’s life in one of the world’s most culturally vibrant cities.
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