Hemingway hated me. I outsell him and he was steamed. One day he wrote a story for Bluebook berating me. So I'm going on a big TV show in Chicago and I don't get it, that's sour grapes... I mean if you can't say something nice about someone why say anything at all?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Spillane claims Hemingway's criticism was motivated by jealousy over sales and advises against speaking ill of others.
- In plain terms
- He thinks Hemingway was jealous of his sales and says you should stay silent if you can't say something nice.
- What can you take from it?
- Jealousy often drives negative criticism.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Should you always be nice to critics?
- Is silence better than negative feedback?
Another view
Criticism can be constructive regardless of the critic's motives.
More from Mickey Spillane
Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn't. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still... you look at all this stuff with a grain of …
Permalink to quote #47 I'm the most translated writer in the world, behind Lenin, Tolstoy, Gorki and Jules Verne. And they're all dead...
Permalink to quote #49 I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can't understand it. My father was a good Irish saloon-keeper, my mother always said to h…
Permalink to quote #46
Related quotes
The arts babblative and scribblative.
Robert SoutheyRobert Southey quote #15 It is possible that the malice of writers has been overrated (by myself among others). Reading their ruminations on their craft, one sees why this writer could…
Wilfrid SheedWilfrid Sheed quote #26 Satire, though it may exaggerate the vice it lashes, is not justified in creating it in order that it may be lashed.
Anthony TrollopeAnthony Trollope quote #74