--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am drunk, seest thou? When I am not…" description: "\"I am drunk, seest thou? When I am not drunk I do not talk. You have never heard me talk much. But an intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/ernest-hemingway-83_drunk_i-am-drunk-seest-thou-when-i-am-not-drun_946428.jpg" --- # I am drunk, seest thou? When I am not drunk I do not talk… ![“I am drunk, seest thou? When I am not drunk I do not talk. You have never heard me talk much. But an intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend his time with fools.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/ernest-hemingway-83_drunk_i-am-drunk-seest-thou-when-i-am-not-drun_946428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/ernest-hemingway-83_drunk_i-am-drunk-seest-thou-when-i-am-not-drun_946428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/ernest-hemingway-83_drunk_i-am-drunk-seest-thou-when-i-am-not-drun_946428.jpg) > “I am drunk, seest thou? When I am not drunk I do not talk. You have never heard me talk much. But an intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend his time with fools.” [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. The speaker claims that when sober he rarely speaks, but sometimes must feign drunkenness to mingle with foolish people. **In simple terms:** He pretends to be drunk to spend time with fools. Key Takeaway Consider when you might hide your true self to fit in. Themes social conformity self‑presentation intelligence Mood reflective critical Type advice commentary When to use this quote - networking events - family gatherings - political meetings - online forums Key Concepts authenticity social pressure survival tactics Questions to Reflect On - Why do you feel the need to mask your true voice? - What are the costs of pretending to belong? A Different Perspective Feigning drunkenness may damage credibility and trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Drunk Seest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk-seest-1655183/) [Drunk Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk-talk-1328378/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Forced Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forced-drunk-1022821/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Intelligent man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Thou Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-drunk-1655182/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [When I am not drunk I do not talk. You have never heard me talk much. 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I notice you speak slightingly of the bottle. I have drunk since I was fifteen and few things have given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/don-t-you-drink-i-notice-you-speak-slightingly-of-the-bottle-i-have/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“All right, said Nick. Let's get drunk. All right, Bill said. Let's get really drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/all-right-said-nick-let-s-get-drunk-all-right-bill-said-let-s-get/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [ \[About Pierre de Fermat\] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. 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Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/out-on-the-edge-you-see-all-kinds-of-things-you-can-t-see-from-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [Cynical realism is the intelligent man's best excuse for doing nothing in an intolerable situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/cynical-realism-is-the-intelligent-man-s-best-excuse-for-doing/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-intelligent-man-who-is-proud-of-his-intelligence-is-like-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! 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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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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More Drunk quotes > [High school sucked. 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