Reader, do you think it is a terrible thing to hope when there is really no reason to hope at all? Or is it (as the soldier said about happiness) something that you might just as well do, since, in the end, it really makes no difference to anyone but you? Kate Dicamillo
About This Quote

This quote is from "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. It is a short story about two soldiers, one who has been wounded in the leg, and another who is dying of wounds in his chest. They are speaking to each other in a hospital. The wounded soldier says that he is fortunate that he will not have to feel the pain of his wounds, that it would be better for him to lose his life in battle than to have to feel the pain of them.

The dying soldier responds with “I don’t think it makes much difference either way.” Hemingway’s point is that people are the ones who are always making these decisions for themselves. What sort of pain do you want? Which will make you more miserable? Whether or not it makes a difference is irrelevant.

Source: The Tale Of Despereaux

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