Ernest Hemingway, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, left behind a legacy not only through his novels but also through his profound and inspiring words. His quotes reflect courage, resilience, truth, and the human spirit. Whether you seek motivation, clarity, or a fresh perspective on life, Hemingway’s sayings offer timeless guidance. Below, you will find over 77 carefully selected inspirational quotes that capture his unique voice and wisdom.

77+ Ernest Hemingway Inspirational Quotes Everyone Should Read

1. The way to make people trust-worthy is to trust them.

2. When people talk listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen.

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

4. Courage is grace under pressure.

5. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.

6. Forget your personal tragedy. Use the hurt — don’t cheat with it.

7. Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.

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

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

10. An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.

11. All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.

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

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

14. All thinking men are atheists.

15. The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.

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

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

18. We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.

19. 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.

20. Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.

21. Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth.

22. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.

23. You can write any time people will leave you alone and not interrupt you.

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

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

26. I suppose if a man has something once, always something of it remains.

27. Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel?

28. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.

29. Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.

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

31. Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years.

32. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry: Worry never fixes anything.

33. The shortest answer is doing the thing.

34. Never mistake motion for action.

35. Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.

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

37. The first draft of anything is shit.

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

39. Maybe…you’ll fall in love with me all over again.

40. If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them.

41. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.

42. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.

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

44. My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.

45. No weapon has ever settled a moral problem. It can impose a solution but it cannot guarantee it to be a just one.

46. If you have a success you have it for the wrong reasons.

47. If you become popular it is always because of the worst aspects of your work.

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

49. I don’t like to write like God. It is only because you never do it, though, that the critics think you can’t do it.

50. All things truly wicked start from innocence.

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

52. The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.

53. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees.

54. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.

55. The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.

56. There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

57. The world is a fine place worth fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.

58. Never confuse movement with action.

59. 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.

60. You can write any time people will leave you alone and not interrupt you. Or, rather, you can if you will be ruthless enough about it.

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

62. Courage is grace under pressure.

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

64. Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.

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

66. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.

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

68. All you have to do is write one true sentence.

69. The first draft of anything is shit.

70. Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.

71. Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years.

72. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry: Worry never fixes anything.

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

74. The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for.

75. An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.

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

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

78. The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.

Conclusion

Ernest Hemingway’s words continue to inspire generations with their clarity, strength, and honesty. His quotes remind us to face life’s challenges with courage, to trust and listen deeply, and to live with passion and truth. Whether you are a writer, a dreamer, or simply someone seeking motivation, these quotes offer a beacon of insight. Let them guide you to live fully, love deeply, and persevere with grace.