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 main motive for nonattachment is a desire to escape from the pain of living, and above all from love, which, sexual or non-sexual, is hard work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nonattachment arises from a desire to avoid the pains associated with relationships and love.
George Orwell suggests that the principle of nonattachment stems from the human instinct to evade the struggles and emotional labor that come with love and relationships. By stating that love, whether sexual or platonic, requires significant effort, he implies that people may choose nonattachment as a way to shield themselves from the inevitable suffering that accompanies deep connections.
Themes
NonattachmentPainLoveRelationshipsSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about emotional resilience, one might refer to this quote to highlight the challenges of loving deeply.
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.
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Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.
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As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
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It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.
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