Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.
Martha GellhornRead
Then somebody suggested I should write about the war, and I said I didn't know anything about the war. I did not understand anything about it. I didn't see how I could write it
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the uncertainty and lack of knowledge one can feel when confronted with complex topics like war.
In this quote, Martha Gellhorn expresses her feeling of inadequacy and unfamiliarity when asked to write about the war. It highlights the struggles of conveying experiences and emotions tied to war, particularly when one does not fully comprehend its intricacies, demonstrating the challenge writers face when tackling profound and chaotic subjects like conflict.
Themes
WarWritingConflictKnowledgeUncertaintyExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on the representation of war in literature.
More from Martha Gellhorn
All quotes →It would be a bitter cosmic joke if we destroy ourselves due to atrophy of the imagination.
Martha GellhornRead
the ends never justify the means because IT never ends.
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Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it.
Martha GellhornRead
I followed the war wherever I could reach it.
Martha GellhornRead
Thousand got away to other countries; thousands returned to Spain tempted by false promises of kindness. By the tens of thousands, these Spaniards died of neglect in the concentration camps.
Martha GellhornRead
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I think a lot of people, including me, clammed up when a civilian asked about battle, about war. It was fashionable. One of the most impressive ways to tell your war story is to refuse to tell it, you know. Civilians would then have to imagine all kinds of deeds of derring-do.
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