Who said “I've seen a lot of patriots and they all died just like anybody else if it hurt bad…”?

Verified

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

SourceLetter (12 January 1936); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker

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“I've seen a lot of patriots and they all died just like anybody else if it hurt bad enough and once they were dead their patriotism was only good for legends; it was bad for their prose and made them write bad poetry. If you are going to be a great patriot i.e. loyal to any existing order of government (not one who wishes to destroy the existing for something better) you want to be killed early if your life and works won't stink.”
— Ernest Hemingway
VerifiedLetter (12 January 1936); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker · evidencePatriotism
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter (12 January 1936); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker.

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). I've seen a lot of patriots and they all died just like anybody else if it hurt bad enough and once they were dead their patriotism was only good for legends; it was bad for their prose and made them write bad poetry. If you are going to be a great patriot i.e. loyal to any existing order of government (not one who wishes to destroy the existing for something better) you want to be killed early if your life and works won't stink. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/16119-ive-seen-a-lot-of-patriots-and-they/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “I've seen a lot of patriots and they all died just like anybody else if it hurt bad enough and once they were dead their patriotism was only good for legends; it was bad for their prose and made them write bad poetry. If you are going to be a great patriot i.e. loyal to any existing order of government (not one who wishes to destroy the existing for something better) you want to be killed early if your life and works won't stink.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/16119-ive-seen-a-lot-of-patriots-and-they/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “I've seen a lot of patriots and they all died just like anybody else if it hurt bad enough and once they were dead their patriotism was only good for legends; it was bad for their prose and made them write bad poetry. If you are going to be a great patriot i.e. loyal to any existing order of government (not one who wishes to destroy the existing for something better) you want to be killed early if your life and works won't stink.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/16119-ive-seen-a-lot-of-patriots-and-they/.

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