Who said “Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of…”?

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Ernest Hemingway. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceDeath in the Afternoon (1932)

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“Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they do not yet understand or which seems to differ from their moral concepts.”
— Ernest Hemingway
VerifiedDeath in the Afternoon (1932) · evidenceDecadence
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Death in the Afternoon (1932).

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they do not yet understand or which seems to differ from their moral concepts. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10785-decadence-is-a-difficult-word-to-use-since/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they do not yet understand or which seems to differ from their moral concepts.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10785-decadence-is-a-difficult-word-to-use-since/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “Decadence is a difficult word to use since it has become little more than a term of abuse applied by critics to anything they do not yet understand or which seems to differ from their moral concepts.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10785-decadence-is-a-difficult-word-to-use-since/.

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