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George Orwell Quotes - Page 2

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A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses.

A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses.

Generations, Necklaces, Corpses

George Orwell, Peter Hobley Davison (2001). “Orwell and politics: Animal farm in the context of essays, reviews and letters selected from the complete works of George Orwell”, Penguin Modern Classics

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there.

Jobs, Wall, Gun

"A patriot after all, 1940-1941".

One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish a dictatorship.

Order, Doe, Revolution

Nineteen Eighty-Four pt. 3, ch. 3 (1949)

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.

Lying, Objectivity, Deceit

George Orwell, Keith Gessen (2009). “All Art Is Propaganda: Critical Essays”, p.26, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.

Intelligent, Men, Intelligence

George Orwell, Sonia Orwell, Ian Angus (1968). “The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell: An age like this, 1920-1940”, Harvill Secker

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

Strength, Peace, Freedom

Nineteen Eighty-Four pt. 1, ch. 1 (1949)

Whoever controls the image and information of the past determines what and how future generations will think; whoever controls the information and images of the present determines how those same people will view the past." "He who controls the past commands the future. He who commands the future conquers the past.

Education, Past, Thinking

True freedom is the right to say something that others don't want to hear.

Want, True Freedom

In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.

Birthday, Lying, Political Language

George Orwell, Keith Gessen (2009). “All Art Is Propaganda: Critical Essays”, p.282, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.

Doe, Want, Publicity

We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.

Power, Intention, 1984 Important

George Orwell, A.M. Heath (2003). “Animal Farm and 1984”, p.354, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.

Faces, Fit, Mask

George Orwell (1970). “A Collection of Essays”, p.152, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

Time, Freedom, Future

The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right.

Party, Heart, Eye

George Orwell, A.M. Heath (2003). “Animal Farm and 1984”, p.178, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain.

Pain, Stupid, Our World

George Orwell (1961). “1984”

The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians.

Real, Lefties, Division

George Orwell's letter to Malcolm Muggeridge (December 4, 1948), as quoted in Ian Hunter "Malcolm Muggeridge: A Life", 1980.

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

Dream, Time, Peace

Nineteen Eighty-Four pt. 1, ch. 3 (1949) See Orwell 19

At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas of which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question. It is not exactly forbidden to say this, that or the other, but it is 'not done' to say it... Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the high-brow periodicals.

Thinking, Effectiveness, Ideas

"The Freedom of the Press". Unused preface to George Orwell "Animal Farm" (August 17, 1945), first published in "The Times Literary Supplement", September 15, 1972.

It's not so much staying alive, it's staying human that's important. What counts is that we don't betray each other.

Important, Alive, Betray

"Fictional character: Winston Smith". "1984", www.imdb.com. 1984.

All rulers in all ages have tried to impose a false view of the world upon their followers.

Views, Age, Followers

George Orwell, A.M. Heath (2003). “Animal Farm and 1984”, p.289, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

From the totalitarian point of view, history is something to be created rather than learned.

Views, Point Of View

George Orwell, Keith Gessen (2009). “All Art Is Propaganda: Critical Essays”, p.259, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.

Change, Party, Answers

George Orwell, A.M. Heath (2003). “Animal Farm and 1984”, p.354, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

All that was required of them (i.e. the brain-washed masses) was a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary to make them accept longer working hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because, being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice.

Memorial Day, Ideas, Evil

Right thinking will be rewarded, wrong thinking punished.

Thinking, Wrong Thinking

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Funny, Sarcastic, Sarcasm

Animal Farm ch. 10 (1945) See Bierce 141

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