Inspirational Quotes

Words to motivate, inspire, and guide you.

George Orwell Quotes

Hear the Author's Words

Corruption Pervasiveness Politics In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.

Approval Governance Ideals Identity Language It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it; consequently, the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning.

Fortitude Nobility Resilience Struggle Tragedy A tragic situation exists precisely when virtue does not triumph but when it is still felt that man is nobler than the forces which destroy him.

Clarity Self-Effacement Writing 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.

Aggression Competition Ruthlessness War Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.

Control Deception Identity Manipulation Power Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.

Self-awareness Simplicity Wisdom The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.

Death Misanthropy Nihilism War War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.

Control Deception Duality Manipulation Oppression War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

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

Control Intelligence Oppression Society War is a way of shattering to pieces... materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable and... too intelligent.

Happiness Perspective Purpose Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.

Clarity Communication Simplicity Good writing is like a windowpane.

Consequence Ignorance Naivety Risk So much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot.

Collaboration Creativity Language Practicality Language ought to be the joint creation of poets and manual workers.

Conflict Exploitation Greed Power Dynamics Wealth War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it.

Equality All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Difficult Choices Evil Morality War War is evil, but it is often the lesser evil.

Conditional Love Empathy Imbalance in Relationships Love Mutuality of Feelings One can love a child, perhaps, more deeply than one can love another adult, but it is rash to assume that the child feels any love in return.

Belief Myths Reality Truth Myths which are believed in tend to become true.

Politics Power Liberal: a power worshipper without power.

Human Equality Societal Progress No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimeter nearer.

Decay Historical Distortion Misinformation Truth Worldview The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.

Belief Integrity Morality If you have embraced a creed which appears to be free from the ordinary dirtiness of politics - a creed from which you yourself cannot expect to draw any material advantage - surely that proves that you are in the right?

Media Accuracy Perception Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper.

Control Future Influence Past Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

Censorship Danger Power Surveillance Tyranny As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.

Adaptation Decline Legacy Tradition Probably the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton, but the opening battles of all subsequent wars have been lost there.

Catholicism Maturity One cannot really be a Catholic and grown up.

Human Progress Human Responsibility Moral Framework Rejection of Supernatural Secular Ethics Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.