[Ads-l] Quote Origin: A Cat Has Absolute Emotional Honesty. People Hide Their Feelings, But Cats Never Do

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

On March 18, 2026 the New York Times crossword puzzle presented the
following clue for 27 down:

[Begin excerpt]
Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but
a ___ does not.
[End excerpt]

The statement was attributed to Ernest Hemingway, and I was contacted
by a skeptical person.

The earliest match I found occurred in the 1961 book "My Brother,
Ernest Hemingway" by Leicester Hemingway. Ernest used the nickname
“Baron” when referring to his brother Leicester. A remark about cats
was ascribed to Ernest Hemingway by Leicester Hemingway.

[Begin excerpt]
Much has been written about Ernest's enormous fondness for cats. He
claimed they were superior to people of unknown quality. "A cat has
absolute emotional honesty, Baron," he told me once. "Male or female,
a cat will show you how it feels about you. People hide their feelings
for various reasons, but cats never do."
[End excerpt]

This version of the quotation used "people" instead of "human beings".

The accuracy of the quotation is dependent on the veracity of
Leicester Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway died in 1961, the same year
Leicester published the book about Ernest.

Here is a link to the QI article.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2026/03/24/cats-hide/

Feedback welcome
Garson O'Toole

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org