Who said “I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression…”?

Verified

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

SourceA Farewell to Arms (1929)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it.”
VerifiedA Farewell to Arms (1929) · evidenceWar
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: A Farewell to Arms (1929).

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41722-i-was-always-embarrassed-by-the-words-sacred/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41722-i-was-always-embarrassed-by-the-words-sacred/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41722-i-was-always-embarrassed-by-the-words-sacred/.