|
George Orwell Quotes
English essayist, novelist, & satirist
| “ | The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.
Polemic, May 1946, "Second Thoughts on James Burnham" | ” |
| “ | War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.
1984 | ” |
| “ | If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable -- what then?
1984 | ” |
| “ | People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
(attributed) | ” |
| “ | The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.
"Politics and the English Language", 1946 | ” |
| “ | Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
"Politics and the English Language", 1946 | ” |
| “ | In certain kinds of writing, particularly in art criticism and literary criticism, it is normal to come across long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning.
"Politics and the English Language", 1946 | ” |
| “ | A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
"Politics and the English Language", 1946 | ” |
| “ | All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
"Animal Farm" | ” |
| “ | It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
"1984", first sentence | ” |
| “ | To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle. | ” |
| “ | On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time. | ” |
| “ | In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. | ” |
| “ | Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. | ” |
If we're missing any George Orwell quotes, do . |
Support Lung Cancer Alliance
