Never Mistake Motion For Action

Never Mistake Motion For Action

Ernest Hemingway Quote

Never Mistake Motion For Action; Ernest Hemingway villifying those with a lot of bustle who talk the talk but do not walk the walk

The people identified by Hemingway are the hustlers and bustlers and they come in all walks of life, their main trait is ineffective but apparent hard work.

Just because someone has the appearance of being busy it does not always translate to being productive.

Don't Tell Me, Show Me


Big Ron Atkinson had a great quote to say to his football players who always talked a good game; "Don't tell me, show me", players have a tendency to believe their own publicity and by nature tend to be confident people, but if they are running around without influencing the game in a positive manner then they are ineffective.

Talkers are everywhere but it is the end result that matters, delivering the end product within the given time frame, that is what counts.

Getting things accomplished is what really matters, if you have a set of pre-defined goals this gives you something to aim for. There is always a danger that your daily endeavours may give the appearance of hard work but your habitual routines may be slowing down reaching your ultimate goal.

Going Through The Motions


An associated phrase that is often used is; "Just going through the motions", this is when people purposely put on a show of being busy to create an impression with their boss, how often do you see the boss walk in and everyone in the office pretends to be working or switches from social media to microsoft excel.

Just because someone appears to be in motion it does not always correlate with getting anywhere, it's where the action is going on that counts. The closing of a contract so everyone can get paid or the end result of a sporting contest because both of these will have produced actionable activities that got you to signing off or the final victorious whistle.

Action Speaks Louder Than Words


Action is the act of doing the nitty gritty, this is what gets the job done and it is achieved by cutting through all the distractions put in your way that would give you plenty of motion but not the end result.

Maybe what Ernest Hemingway meant by the quote "never mistake motion for action" was to avoid the distractions that life throws at you because they will diminish your time and so delay achieving your goals, to quote another famous phrase; "Action speak louder than words".


Michael Joseph Farrelly Article By:



Great quotes are not where you find great wisdom. It's where you share this knowledge that counts

Sharing Is Caring

Random Action Quote

"Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often" - Mark Twain