Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist and journalist whose spare, direct style helped define much of his fiction. The familiar line “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places” is associated with his 1929 novel *A Farewell to Arms*. In the book, it is part of a reflection by Frederic Henry, an American serving as an ambulance driver during World War I. The wording in the version given here—especially “where they were once most fragile before”—is not part of the commonly printed passage, so it is best understood as an adaptation rather than a verbatim quotation.
The thought is both bleak and hopeful: hardship can wound people deeply, yet some emerge with new strength precisely where they suffered. That strength is not presented as proof that pain was necessary or fair. In the fuller passage, Hemingway also warns that suffering does not make everyone stronger; it can destroy people, including the kind and courageous. That tension gives the line much of its force. It recognizes the resilience people may discover after loss while refusing to pretend that everyone recovers in the same way. For readers facing setbacks, the image of a “broken place” becoming a source of strength can offer comfort without making pain seem easy.