25 George Orwell Quotes on Truth, Power and Government

Our latest collection of George Orwell quotes that will inspire you to stand for what you believe is right.

George Orwell was a British journalist and author who is best known for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in eastern India, on 25 June 1903.

The son of a British colonial civil servant, he was educated in England and worked as a British Imperial Policeman in Burma before dedicating himself to becoming a writer.

George Orwell was a man of strong opinions who dedicated his energy to writing novels that were politically charged, first with Animal Farm in 1945, then with 1984 in 1949.

Both books have enjoyed enormous popularity over the years and have been turned into films.

Animal Farm, a bitter satire of the Soviet experiment, was Orwell’s first masterpiece.

It brought him great acclaim and made him financially comfortable for the first time in his life.

1984 addressed the dangers of a totalitarian society and is regarded as one of the greatest classics of all time.

70 years after it was first published, it remains an important novel, mainly because of its deep analysis of the psychology of power and the ways that manipulations of language and history can be used as tools of control.

Orwell died in London on January 21, 1950.

He will always be remembered for his remarkable journalism and essays that seem to be written for modern times years ago.

In his honor, below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and thought-provoking George Orwell quotes, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Also, check out our list of The Lord of the Flies quotes on why humans need structure and rules.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

George Orwell quotes on truth, power and government

1. “If you can feel that staying human is worthwhile, even when it can’t have any result whatever, you’ve beaten them.” ― George Orwell

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2. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell

3. “The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.” ― George Orwell

4. “Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” ― George Orwell

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5. “Apparently nothing will ever teach these people that the other 99 percent of the population exist.” ― George Orwell

6. “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell

7. “I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don’t want virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.” ― George Orwell

8. “Within certain limits, it is actually true that the less money you have, the less you worry.” ― George Orwell

9. “Nothing exists except through human consciousness.” ― George Orwell

10. “It is a horrible thing to have to enter into the details of inter-party polemics; it is like diving into a cesspool.” ― George Orwell
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Animal Farm quotes that will teach you the power of too much power.

George Orwell quotes that will inspire you to stand for truth

11. “If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” ― George Orwell

12. “Perhaps the Party was rotten under the surface, its cult of strenuousness and self-denial simply a sham concealing iniquity.” ― George Orwell

13. “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” ― George Orwell

14. “She had become a physical necessity, something that he not only wanted but felt he had the right to,” ― George Orwell

15. “The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect.” ― George Orwell

16. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.” ― George Orwell

17. “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues….” ― George Orwell

18. “Perhaps a man really dies when his brain stops, when he loses the power to take in a new idea.” ― George Orwell

19. “Progress is not an illusion; it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.” ― George Orwell

20. “Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.” ― George Orwell

George Orwell quotes that will change your mind

21. “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.” ― George Orwell

22. “All the papers that matter live off their advertisements, and the advertisers exercise an indirect censorship over news.” ― George Orwell

23. “Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn’t matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you-that would be the real betrayal.” ― George Orwell

24. “Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them.” ― George Orwell

25. “If there really is such a thing as turning in one’s grave, Shakespeare must get a lot of exercise.” ― George Orwell

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Which of these George Orwell quotes was your favorite?

George Orwell will always be remembered for his politically charged books.

His works remain influential in popular culture and in political culture.

Orwell addressed some of the major political movements of his time and remains one of the greatest British writers.

We hope his words have inspired you to stand for truth.

Did you enjoy these George Orwell quotes?

Which of the quotes was your favorite?

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