--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I was reading science fiction, I…" description: "\"Before I was reading science fiction, I read Hemingway. Farewell to Arms was my first adult novel that said not everything ends well. It was one of tho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/robert-reed-23290_arms_before-i-was-reading-science-fiction-i-r_2649333.jpg" --- # Before I was reading science fiction, I read Hemingway… ![“Before I was reading science fiction, I read Hemingway. Farewell to Arms was my first adult novel that said not everything ends well. It was one of those times where reading has meant a great deal to me, in terms of my development - an insight came from that book.” quote by Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/robert-reed-23290_arms_before-i-was-reading-science-fiction-i-r_2649333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/robert-reed-23290_arms_before-i-was-reading-science-fiction-i-r_2649333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51f/robert-reed-23290_arms_before-i-was-reading-science-fiction-i-r_2649333.jpg) > “Before I was reading science fiction, I read Hemingway. Farewell to Arms was my first adult novel that said not everything ends well. It was one of those times where reading has meant a great deal to me, in terms of my development - an insight came from that book.” [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms” shaped the author’s worldview, highlighting that not all stories end happily and influencing personal development. **In simple terms:** Hemingway taught that life isn’t always happy. Key Takeaway Embrace realistic expectations. Themes literature personal growth fiction Mood introspective inspirational Type literary personal When to use this quote - book clubs - creative writing workshops - personal reflection journals Key Concepts narrative realism emotional development Questions to Reflect On - How did the novel change your outlook? - What other books offered similar lessons? A Different Perspective Not all readers share this impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Farewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farewell/) [Farewell to arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farewell-to-arms/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [I like simple writing. I'd rather read Hemingway than Burroughs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yannis-philippakis/i-like-simple-writing-i-d-rather-read-hemingway-than-burroughs/) [Yannis Philippakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yannis-philippakis/) > [From the time I read my first Hemingway work, The Sun Also Rises, as a student at Soldan High School in St. Louis, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-hotchner/from-the-time-i-read-my-first-hemingway-work-the-sun-also-rises-as-a/) [A. E. Hotchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-hotchner/) > [I still read Hemingway. I still read his short stories because they're so good. He doesn't waste any words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-still-read-hemingway-i-still-read-his-short-stories-because-they-re/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Helpful to me over the years was some of Ernest Hemingway's writing, for example A Farewell to Arms. You have characters who speak Italian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-penkov/helpful-to-me-over-the-years-was-some-of-ernest-hemingway-s-writing/) [Miroslav Penkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-penkov/) > [“Ernest Hemingway, much like the Artisan hero in his novel, A Farewell to Arms, wanted to avoid figurative language (the language of inference and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-keirsey/ernest-hemingway-much-like-the-artisan-hero-in-his-novel-a-farewell/) [David Keirsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-keirsey/) > [I have a graduate degree from Penn State. I studied at Penn State under a noted Hemingway scholar, Philip Young. I had an interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/i-have-a-graduate-degree-from-penn-state-i-studied-at-penn-state/) [David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/) > [Hemingway was a big influence - 'A Farewell to Arms,' though I disapproved of the later Hemingway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/hemingway-was-a-big-influence-a-farewell-to-arms-though-i-disapproved/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [I move between the two: I write an adult novel, and then I write a children's book. I quite enjoy that. It's a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/i-move-between-the-two-i-write-an-adult-novel-and-then-i-write-a/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [I've never read a young adult novel, though. I'm sure I would love it, but I've never read one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/i-ve-never-read-a-young-adult-novel-though-i-m-sure-i-would-love-it/) [Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/) > [My first book was an adult novel, 'Down Among the Gods,' published by Virago, and I've written poems as well, a slim volume of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-thompson/my-first-book-was-an-adult-novel-down-among-the-gods-published-by/) [Kate Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-thompson/) > [ \[A young adult novel\] ends not with happily ever after, but at a new beginning, with the sense of a lot of life yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/a-young-adult-novel-ends-not-with-happily-ever-after-but-at-a-new/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) > [I am still bowled over by this great young adult novel by David Levithan called 'Every Day,' which is about a character with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-still-bowled-over-by-this-great-young-adult-novel-by-david/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The book that made a lasting impression was the one my mother gave each of us when she decided we were ready for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/the-book-that-made-a-lasting-impression-was-the-one-my-mother-gave/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [“As far as I can tell, a young adult novel is a regular novel that people actually read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/as-far-as-i-can-tell-a-young-adult-novel-is-a-regular-novel-that/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Great. My life has suddenly become a young-adult novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-gonzales/great-my-life-has-suddenly-become-a-young-adult-novel/) [RJ Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-gonzales/) ## More by Robert Reed > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [In a novella, a whole lot of crap can happen, and you can build momentum and suspense and leave room for a surprise or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/in-a-novella-a-whole-lot-of-crap-can-happen-and-you-can-build/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [To improve as a player you need to not only know how you plan to win, but ... how might your opponent disrupt your plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/to-improve-as-a-player-you-need-to-not-only-know-how-you-plan-to-win/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I don't believe people let things slide away. It's the nature of the universe that everything dissolves into oblivion and by every route possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-don-t-believe-people-let-things-slide-away-it-s-the-nature-of-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A community that learns together excels together. We need to form communities that learn together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-community-that-learns-together-excels-together-we-need-to-form/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A favorite science fiction writer of mine is William Faulkner! It was an idea that came to me once, years ago, and I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-favorite-science-fiction-writer-of-mine-is-william-faulkner-it-was/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I'm astonished how little fright I have of my own imagination. It really does baffle me that I don't get more scared because I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-m-astonished-how-little-fright-i-have-of-my-own-imagination-it/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [The burden of intelligence: you can always imagine all those wonderful places where you can never belong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/the-burden-of-intelligence-you-can-always-imagine-all-those-wonderful/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I can't point to a moment or incident that made me see that this business, this putting down words on paper, was what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-can-t-point-to-a-moment-or-incident-that-made-me-see-that-this/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“With a whisper, Ash asked Shadow, “But why do you live this way?  With him, in this kind of role?” In an Aaback fashion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/with-a-whisper-ash-asked-shadow-but-why-do-you-live-this-way-with-him/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [This is a slow business to have success in. There are exceptions, but for the most part it's kind of like the last writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/this-is-a-slow-business-to-have-success-in-there-are-exceptions-but/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“How many of us readers say this quote and mean it. "If I knew what I know now life would be different"…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-many-of-us-readers-say-this-quote-and-mean-it-if-i-knew-what-i/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [How could anyone survive even a single day, if he didn't feel as if he was, in some little great way, needed?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-could-anyone-survive-even-a-single-day-if-he-didn-t-feel-as-if-he/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [2001: A Space Odyssey was a wonderful conundrum when I was a boy, with its giant concepts thrown across the giant screen at Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/2001-a-space-odyssey-was-a-wonderful-conundrum-when-i-was-a-boy-with/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) [Explore all 26 Robert Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before I was reading science fiction, I read Hemingway. Farewell to Arms was my first adult novel that said not everything ends well. 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