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George Orwell

57 quotes

George Orwell (1903–1950) was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist, essayist, and critic best known for the allegorical novella *Animal Farm* and the dystopian novel *Nineteen Eighty-Four*. His clear, direct prose style and fierce opposition to totalitarianism made him one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

“I doubt whether classical education ever has been or can be successfully carried out without corporal punishment.”

— George Orwell

Education

All Quotes by George Orwell

“There is hardly such a thing as a war in which it makes no difference who wins. Nearly always one side stands more of less for progress, the other side more or less for reaction.”

— George Orwell

War

“War is a way of shattering to pieces... materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable and... too intelligent.”

— George Orwell

War

“Four legs good, two legs bad.”

— George Orwell

Good

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

— George Orwell

Future

“It is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one's own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane.”

— George Orwell

Good

“Part of the reason for the ugliness of adults, in a child's eyes, is that the child is usually looking upwards, and few faces are at their best when seen from below.”

— George Orwell

Best

“Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”

— George Orwell

Happiness

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”

— George Orwell

Men

“No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimeter nearer.”

— George Orwell

Equality

“As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.”

— George Orwell

Religion

“Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.”

— George Orwell

Good

“In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.”

— George Orwell

Time

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

— George Orwell

Intelligence

“We may find in the long run that tinned food is a deadlier weapon than the machine-gun.”

— George Orwell

Food

“For a creative writer possession of the 'truth' is less important than emotional sincerity.”

— George Orwell

Truth

“To walk through the ruined cities of Germany is to feel an actual doubt about the continuity of civilization.”

— George Orwell

War

“Happiness can exist only in acceptance.”

— George Orwell

Happiness

“No one can look back on his schooldays and say with truth that they were altogether unhappy.”

— George Orwell

Truth

“I doubt whether classical education ever has been or can be successfully carried out without corporal punishment.”

— George Orwell

Education

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

— George Orwell

Future