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Ernest Hemingway, writer: “Once war breaks out, there is only one thing to do”

The American writer is one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.

Update: Apr 10th, 2026 09:00 EDT

Ernest Hemingway is one of the great legends of world literature, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 1954 whose life was filled with adventure and excess, both of which played a defining role in his work. The American author had a deep connection to Spain, developing a lasting fascination with the country that he reflected in books such as The Sun Also Rises, Death in the Afternoon, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. The latter was inspired by his experience covering the Spanish Civil War as a war correspondent.

Hemingway left behind many memorable quotations over the course of his remarkable literary career, but one of his most striking reads as follows: “Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.”

It is a quote worth reflecting on, especially given that Hemingway experienced war firsthand, reporting not only on the Spanish Civil War, but also on World War I and World War II.

Ernest Hemingway, writer: “Once war breaks out, there is only one thing to do”

A writing career that earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature

“Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?” is another of the curious lines Hemingway left behind. He was also known for his sense of humor, as shown in quips like this one: “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”

Ernest Hemingway’s passion for Spain led him to fall especially in love with the city of Pamplona and with the San Fermín festival, a celebration recognized around the world that the American author immortalized in one of his novels.

Ernest Hemingway, writer: “Once war breaks out, there is only one thing to do”

A writing career that earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature

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