Next day Quote by Ernest Hemingway
““I always worked until I had something done and I always stopped when I knew what was going to happen next. That way I could be sure of going on the next day. But sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they made. I would stand and look out over the roofs of paris and think, 'Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.' So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written. Up in that room I decided that I would write one story about each thing that I knew about. I was trying to do this all the time I was writing, and it was good and severe discipline.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Ernest Hemingway, 1950s (published in The Paris Review)
Hemingway describes a disciplined writing ritual: start with a single true sentence, strip away ornamentation, and let the story grow from that honest core.
In simple terms: Begin with a simple, truthful sentence and build the story from it.
Start writing with a single true sentence.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- writing retreats
- first‑draft sessions
- overcoming writer’s block
- creative rituals
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What is your “true sentence” before writing?
- How does stripping ornament affect your voice?
The method may not suit all writers or genres.