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
It said what he would have said, if it had been possible for him to set his scattered thoughts in order. It was the product of a mind similar to his own, but enormously more powerful, more systematic, less fear-ridden. The best books, he perceived, are those that tell you what you know already.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the idea that great books resonate with our own thoughts, presenting them in a more coherent and powerful manner.
George Orwell suggests that the most valuable books reflect the thoughts and feelings we already possess, but articulate them in ways we may not have been able to express ourselves. These works provide clarity and insight, showing the power of a well-organized mind to illuminate shared human experiences, thereby encouraging readers to reflect on their own understanding of the world.
Themes
BooksKnowledgeThoughtsUnderstandingEducation
In practice
Example use cases
When discussing the impact of literature in a classroom setting.
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.
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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.
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.
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Similar quotes
I've learned quite a lot, over the years, by avoiding what I was supposed to be learning.
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I feel a kind of reverence for the first books of young authors. There is so much aspiration in them, so much audacious hope and trembling fear, so much of the heart's history, that all errors and shortcomings are for a while lost sight of in the amiable self assertion of youth.
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Schools are the single largest lever of mobility in this country. When we commit to creating and enforcing laws that acknowledge the injustice of the past, we open up the possibility of using schools as a means of reducing inequality.
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The giving of love is an education in itself.
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It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways.
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I would no more teach children military training than teach them arson, robbery, or assassination.
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