Who said “That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best --make it all up --but make…”?

Verified

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

SourceLetter to F. Scott Fitzgerald (28 May 1934); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker

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“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.”
— Ernest Hemingway
VerifiedLetter to F. Scott Fitzgerald (28 May 1934); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker · evidenceInvention and Inventor

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald (28 May 1934); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker.

APA

Hemingway, E. (n.d.). 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. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5216-that-is-what-we-are-supposed-to-do/

MLA

Hemingway, Ernest. “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.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5216-that-is-what-we-are-supposed-to-do/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Hemingway, Ernest. “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.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/5216-that-is-what-we-are-supposed-to-do/.

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