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
The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possibility of independent thought. There are therefore two great problems which the Party is concerned to solve. One is how to discover, against his will, what another human being is thinking, and the other is how to kill several hundred million people in a few seconds without giving warning beforehand.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the oppressive nature of totalitarian regimes, emphasizing the control over thought and life.
In this quote, George Orwell articulates the alarming ambitions of a totalitarian regime, highlighting its desire not only to dominate the physical world but also to eliminate any form of independent thought among individuals. The dual challenges presented by the Party showcase its relentless pursuit of power, revealing how authoritarian governments prioritize control over both the mind and body of the populace, ultimately dehumanizing society.
Themes
TotalitarianismControlIndependent ThoughtOppressionPower
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the dangers of authoritarian governments.
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.
George OrwellRead
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.
George OrwellRead
Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.
George OrwellRead
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.
George OrwellRead
Similar quotes
Evolutionary naturalism takes the inherent limitations of science and turns them into a devastating philosophical weapon: because science is our only real way of knowing anything, what science cannot know cannot be real.
Phillip E. JohnsonRead
Originality is a thing we constantly clamour for, and constantly quarrel with.
Thomas CarlyleRead
Without memories, without hope, they lived for the moment only. indeed, the here and now had come to mean everything to them. For there is no denying that the plague had gradually killed off in all of us the faculty not of love only but even of friendship. Naturally enough, since love asks something of the future, and nothing was left us but a series of present moments.
Albert CamusRead
At times, I feel America is something that I can actually put my arms around, more than a land mass and a Constitution, something far more containable and understandable. I don't exactly know what it is, but at these times I feel completely woven into it.
Henry RollinsRead
Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders.
William FaulknerRead
The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.
Nhat HanhRead