If one harbours anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible.
George OrwellRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children perceive adults as less attractive due to their vantage point. This perspective affects their emotional response to adults.
In this quote, George Orwell reflects on the idea that the physical appearance of adults can seem unappealing to children, primarily because children often view adults from a lower perspective. This observation touches on deeper themes of perception and the impact of one's viewpoint on how they evaluate others, suggesting that our perspective can significantly influence our understanding and judgments of people.
Themes
PerspectivePerceptionChildhoodAdultsUglinessViewpoint
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about how children see the world differently than adults.
More from George Orwell
All quotes →The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
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Political writing in our time consists almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together like the pieces of a child's Meccano set. It is the unavoidable result of self-censorship. To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
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Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.
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As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
George OrwellRead
It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.
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