Who said “Here is the piece. If you can't say fornicate can you say copulate or if not that can…”?

Verified

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

SourceLetter to Esquire editor Arnold Gingrich (11 April 1935); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker

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“Here is the piece. If you can't say fornicate can you say copulate or if not that can you say co-habit? If not that would have to say consummate I suppose. Use your own good taste and judgment.”
— Ernest Hemingway
VerifiedLetter to Esquire editor Arnold Gingrich (11 April 1935); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker · evidenceObscenity

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to Esquire editor Arnold Gingrich (11 April 1935); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker.

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). Here is the piece. If you can't say fornicate can you say copulate or if not that can you say co-habit? If not that would have to say consummate I suppose. Use your own good taste and judgment. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29260-here-is-the-piece-if-you-cant-say/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “Here is the piece. If you can't say fornicate can you say copulate or if not that can you say co-habit? If not that would have to say consummate I suppose. Use your own good taste and judgment.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29260-here-is-the-piece-if-you-cant-say/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “Here is the piece. If you can't say fornicate can you say copulate or if not that can you say co-habit? If not that would have to say consummate I suppose. Use your own good taste and judgment.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29260-here-is-the-piece-if-you-cant-say/.

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