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.
The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects how history can be manipulated and forgotten, leading to a new, false narrative that becomes accepted as truth.
George Orwell's quote highlights the dangerous potential of manipulating history and memory. By asserting that 'the past was erased' and 'the erasure was forgotten,' it warns of a situation where the truth is not just concealed but entirely redefined, allowing a fabricated narrative to replace reality. This idea resonates with the concept that society can collectively accept lies as truths without questioning their origins or validity, a theme prevalent in Orwell's works and in discussions about power, control, and the nature of truth.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of historical accuracy during a lecture.
More from George Orwell
All quotes βThe 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.
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.
Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.
As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.
Similar quotes
Each nation has a main current in life; in India it is religion. Make it strong and the waters on either side must move along with it.
What is at issue is the conversion of the mind from the twilight of error to the truth, that climb up into the real world which we shall call true philosophy.
I quote others only in order the better to express myself.
What religion a man holds, to what race he belongs, these things are not important; the really important thing is this knowledge: the knowledge of God's plan for men. For God has a plan, and that plan is evolution.
Christ is the Word of God. It is not in certain texts written in the New Testament, valuable as they are; it is not in certain words which Jesus spoke, vast as is their preciousness; it is in the Word, which Jesus is, that the great manifestation of God is made.
Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.