Who said “Eschew the monumental. Shun the Epic. All the guys who can paint great big pictures can…”?

Verified

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

SourceLetter (5–6 January 1932); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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“Eschew the monumental. Shun the Epic. All the guys who can paint great big pictures can paint great small ones.”
— Ernest Hemingway
VerifiedLetter (5–6 January 1932); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker · evidenceExaggeration

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter (5–6 January 1932); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker.

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). Eschew the monumental. Shun the Epic. All the guys who can paint great big pictures can paint great small ones. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/15069-eschew-the-monumental-shun-the-epic-all-the/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “Eschew the monumental. Shun the Epic. All the guys who can paint great big pictures can paint great small ones.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/15069-eschew-the-monumental-shun-the-epic-all-the/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “Eschew the monumental. Shun the Epic. All the guys who can paint great big pictures can paint great small ones.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/15069-eschew-the-monumental-shun-the-epic-all-the/.

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