--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: About morals, I know only that what is…" description: "\"About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.\" — Ernest Hemingway" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/ernest-hemingway-83_character_about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-mo_3074809.jpg" --- # About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you… ![“About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/ernest-hemingway-83_character_about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-mo_3074809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/ernest-hemingway-83_character_about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-mo_3074809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a5/ernest-hemingway-83_character_about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-mo_3074809.jpg) > “About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. Moral judgment is based on personal emotional response rather than objective standards. **In simple terms:** Morality feels good or bad. Key Takeaway Reflect on feelings when judging actions. Themes ethics subjectivity emotion Mood contemplative neutral Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - daily decisions - conflict resolution Key Concepts moral intuition emotional ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do feelings always indicate rightness? - How to balance emotion with reason? A Different Perspective Emotions can be misleading or culturally biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Feel good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-good/) [Immoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral/) [Immoral Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral-feel-391450/) [Know Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-moral-1027732/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-feel-391451/) [Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals/) [Morals Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals-know-792750/) ## Related quotes > [“So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/so-far-about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what-is-immoral-is-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/so-far-about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-2/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Among the innumerable books on Addy’s shelves was one by Ernest Hemingway in which I found these words: ‘What is moral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-reid-banks/among-the-innumerable-books-on-addy-s-shelves-was-one-by-ernest/) [Lynne Reid Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-reid-banks/) > [you may call a person vain, and they will smile; you may call them immoral, and they may even feel flattered - but call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-buckrose/you-may-call-a-person-vain-and-they-will-smile-you-may-call-them/) [J. E. Buckrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-buckrose/) > [“Everybody knew that men have no morals, that they do not know how to behave, that they do not know how to treat other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/everybody-knew-that-men-have-no-morals-that-they-do-not-know-how-to/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I'm a girl from the South, so I was raised with morals - you know, your family's first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/i-m-a-girl-from-the-south-so-i-was-raised-with-morals-you-know-your/) [Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/) > [The ethics of sex is a thorny problem. Each of us is forced to grope for a solution he can live with - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-ethics-of-sex-is-a-thorny-problem-each-of-us-is-forced-to-grope/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I know what I believe in. I know my morals and I know what I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-hale/i-m-not-trying-to-be-something-i-m-not-i-know-what-i-believe-in-i/) [Lucy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-hale/) > [“When we do a moral act to offset an immoral one, we are engaged in “moral cleansing.” When we do nothing, or perhaps something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/when-we-do-a-moral-act-to-offset-an-immoral-one-we-are-engaged-in/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [I have a hard time with morals. All I know is what feels right, what's more important to me is being honest about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-have-a-hard-time-with-morals-all-i-know-is-what-feels-right-what-s/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [We have always known that heedless self interest was bad morals, we now know that it is bad economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-always-known-that-heedless-self-interest-was-bad-morals-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people are so moral they feel like they have no need for Jesus. True worshippers know they are in deep need of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/some-people-are-so-moral-they-feel-like-they-have-no-need-for-jesus/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) ## More by Ernest Hemingway > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“There was no wind, and, outside now of the warm air of the cave, heavy with smoke of both tobacco and charcoal, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-was-no-wind-and-outside-now-of-the-warm-air-of-the-cave-heavy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. After all, God made the world in only six days and rested on the seventh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/creation-s-probably-overrated-after-all-god-made-the-world-in-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Viva my husband who was Mayor of this town”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/viva-my-husband-who-was-mayor-of-this-town/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The earth gets tired of being exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-earth-gets-tired-of-being-exploited/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What is moral is what you feel good after, and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good-after-and-what-is-immoral-is-what/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“We drove out along the coast road. There was the green of the headlands, the white, red-roofed villas, patches of forest, and the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-drove-out-along-the-coast-road-there-was-the-green-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Oh, darling, I've been so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/oh-darling-i-ve-been-so-miserable/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then I remember that it was always difficult,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-read-my-own-books-sometimes-to-cheer-me-when-it-is-hard-to-write/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“You find everything on earth at Harry's." 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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