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I was trying to write then and I found the greatest…

“I was trying to write then and I found the greatest difficulty, aside from knowing what you really felt, rather that what you were supposed to feel, and had been taught to feel, was to put down what really happened in action; what the actual things which produced the emotion that you experienced...” quote by Ernest Hemingway
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“I was trying to write then and I found the greatest difficulty, aside from knowing what you really felt, rather that what you were supposed to feel, and had been taught to feel, was to put down what really happened in action; what the actual things which produced the emotion that you experienced...”

Ernest Hemingway

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing difficulty lies in expressing authentic feelings versus learned expectations.

In simple terms: Hard to write true feelings versus learned ones.

Key Takeaway

Write from genuine experience.

Themes

writing authenticity emotion

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

creative philosophical

When to use this quote

  • journaling
  • therapy
  • fiction writing

Key Concepts

Self-expression creative process

Questions to Reflect On

  • What emotions are you suppressing?
  • How can you differentiate authentic vs taught feelings?
A Different Perspective

May be painful to confront true emotions.

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