--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could not fail myself and die on a fish…" description: "\"“I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this,\" he said. \"Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I'll say a hundred Our ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/ernest-hemingway-83_fish_i-could-not-fail-myself-and-die-on-a-fis_685858.jpg" --- # I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this," he… ![“I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this," he said. "Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I'll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now." Consider them said, he thought. I'll say them later.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/ernest-hemingway-83_fish_i-could-not-fail-myself-and-die-on-a-fis_685858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/ernest-hemingway-83_fish_i-could-not-fail-myself-and-die-on-a-fis_685858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4b/ernest-hemingway-83_fish_i-could-not-fail-myself-and-die-on-a-fis_685858.jpg) > ““I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this," he said. "Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I'll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now." Consider them said, he thought. I'll say them later.”” [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. He expresses desperation and reliance on prayer while facing a dire situation, yet admits he cannot pray at that moment. **In simple terms:** Desperation, prayer, inability to pray. Key Takeaway Seek help even when words fail. Themes faith desperation hope human frailty Mood hopeful conflicted Type spiritual literary When to use this quote - personal crisis - religious contemplation - support groups Key Concepts existentialism spiritual struggle literary introspection Questions to Reflect On - How do people cope when prayer feels inadequate? - What alternatives exist when faith seems insufficient? A Different Perspective Prayer may feel impossible when grief is overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Hail mary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hail-mary/) ## Related quotes > [“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-believe-that-man-will-not-merely-endure-he-will-prevail-he-is/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I say to all fathers - be as good as you can be- because your sons and daughters will follow in your footsteps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-chapman/i-say-to-all-fathers-be-as-good-as-you-can-be-because-your-sons-and/) [Duane Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-chapman/) > [“May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: "Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bradford/may-not-and-ought-not-the-children-of-these-fathers-rightly-say-our/) [William Bradford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bradford/) > [The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-poet-s-voice-need-not-merely-be-the-record-of-man-it-can-be-one/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“The work of the artist is to lift up people's hearts and help them endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-work-of-the-artist-is-to-lift-up-people-s-hearts-and-help-them/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [There is a certain class of people who prefer to say that their fathers came down in the world through their own follies than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-certain-class-of-people-who-prefer-to-say-that-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/hail-mary-full-of-grace-the-lord-is-with-thee-blessed-art-thou-among/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Prunesquallor, as urbane as ever, had nevertheless something in his fish-like eyes that might almost be described as determination. One glance at his sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/prunesquallor-as-urbane-as-ever-had-nevertheless-something-in-his/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Remember folks, fish are like relatives. After two days, they stink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-heenan/remember-folks-fish-are-like-relatives-after-two-days-they-stink/) [Bobby Heenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-heenan/) > [Watching fish, like listening to music, can distract you in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-becker/watching-fish-like-listening-to-music-can-distract-you-in-a-good-way/) Marty Becker > [I don't play by those rules; I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. There's something in me that has to go against the grain. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-don-t-play-by-those-rules-i-m-my-own-worst-enemy-sometimes-there-s/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [“Whole trees are good fishing nets. I fish like I farm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/whole-trees-are-good-fishing-nets-i-fish-like-i-farm/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-haig-brown/i-still-don-t-know-why-i-fish-or-why-other-men-fish-except-that-we/) [Roderick Haig-Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderick-haig-brown/) > [“Of everyone here, you are the fish I would like to catch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-fields/of-everyone-here-you-are-the-fish-i-would-like-to-catch/) [Jennie Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-fields/) > [A very ancient and fish-like smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-very-ancient-and-fish-like-smell/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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." "Yes, my Colonel. Except, possibly, happiness." "I'll damn well find happiness, too," the Colonel assured him. "Happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-find-everything-on-earth-at-harry-s-yes-my-colonel-except/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive. The boy keeps me alive, he thought. 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 Fish quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/my-kids-all-do-love-to-hunt-and-fish-when-they-get-together-i-think/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) Gza > [“Fish are unable, of course, to speak for themselves about how we treat them. They have ways of communicating with each other and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-morell/fish-are-unable-of-course-to-speak-for-themselves-about-how-we-treat/) [Virginia Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-morell/) > [Undoubtedly, church fish fries and picnics help build social cohesion. It was at my dad's medium-size evangelical church - my first real exposure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/undoubtedly-church-fish-fries-and-picnics-help-build-social-cohesion/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [“Similarly, take the time to get into shape so you can get to that great spot and be able to fish it all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-deeter/similarly-take-the-time-to-get-into-shape-so-you-can-get-to-that/) Kirk Deeter > [“It's a familiar, if not exactly inspiring, message: in the face of slim pickings, lower your standards. It also makes clear the converse: with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/it-s-a-familiar-if-not-exactly-inspiring-message-in-the-face-of-slim/) [Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/) > [The kind of fishing that I do is pretty much bass, trout or freshwater fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/the-kind-of-fishing-that-i-do-is-pretty-much-bass-trout-or-freshwater/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) [Browse all 2,977 Fish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this,\" he said. \"Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I'll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now.\" Consider them said, he thought. 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