Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.
Interpretation
As we age, the fear of taking risks often grows, leading to more hesitation.
In this quote, Hemingway reflects on the idea that as individuals grow older, they tend to become more cautious and hesitant when it comes to taking risks. This is often due to a greater awareness of potential consequences and a desire for safety, which might inhibit boldness and spontaneity that is often more prevalent in youth. Thus, the weight of experiences and the passage of time can lead to an increase in self-doubt and anxiety about making decisions that involve uncertainty.
In practice
During a motivational speech about embracing challenges, this quote emphasizes the importance of overcoming fear related to age.
He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy. He never dreamed about the boy. He simply woke, looked out the open door at the moon and unrolled his trousers and put them on.
How did you go bankrupt?" Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.
When you have shot one bird flying you have shot all birds flying. They are all different and they fly in different ways but the sensation is the same and the last one is as good as the first.
There is never any ending to Paris and the memory of each person who has lived in it differs from that of any other. We always returned to it no matter who we were or how it was changed or with what difficulties, or ease, it could be reached. Paris was always worth it and you received return for whatever you brought to it. But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.
Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.
There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.
Gentlemen don't read each other's mail.
You are in charge of your own attitude whatever others do or circumstances you face. The only person you can control is yourself...worry more about your attitude than your aptitude or lineage.
How many times do we lose an occasion for soul work by leaping ahead to final solutions without pausing to savor the undertones? We are a radically bottom-line society, eager to act and to end tension, and thus we lose opportunities to know ourselves for our motives and our secrets.
People with the best intentions will often give you advice on why you shouldnβt take a risk because of what could happen. While some of what they say may be true, you should never allow them to get their negative anchors into your mind because, like them, you too will begin to sink. Next time this happens, throw them a life-line, and ask them what is good about their situation.
Sometimes you just have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on.
Nothing is worse than active ignorance.
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