“That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best – make it all up – but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way.”
- July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961
- American
- Novelist, poet, journalist
- Wrote masterpieces such as “The Old Man and the Sea,” “A Farewell to Arms,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954
Quote
“That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best – make it all up – but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way.”
Explanation
This quote speaks to the power of imagination and vision, suggesting that the highest human achievement lies in creating something entirely new and original — “make it all up” — but doing so with such authenticity and conviction that it eventually becomes a reality. Hemingway implies that the ability to dream and “make it up” is not mere fantasy, but an act of creative truth-telling that can shape the future. The phrase “make it up so truly” is key, suggesting that the imagination must be deeply rooted in genuine belief, as if the creation already exists in the mind before it is manifested in the world.
Hemingway’s life and work were marked by a constant reinvention of self and exploration of new territories, both physically, as he traveled and lived in various countries, and artistically, as he pioneered a distinct writing style. His experiences during World War I and the Spanish Civil War, as well as his time spent in Paris as part of the “Lost Generation,” influenced his worldview. The quote reflects this mindset of shaping one’s own destiny, much like the characters in his novels who navigate their lives through moments of extreme clarity and purpose.
In the modern context, this quote can be applied to the creative process in fields such as business, art, and technology, where visionaries often “make it up” by imagining solutions that do not yet exist. A good example is the world of startups, where entrepreneurs envision products or services that radically change the way we live. Take, for instance, the development of smartphones: when they were first imagined, they were just “made up,” but with such precision and foresight, they eventually became an integral part of our everyday lives.
