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
I sometimes think that the price of liberty is not so much eternal vigilance as eternal dirt.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Liberty requires constant effort to maintain, often in the face of uncomfortable truths.
In this quote, George Orwell suggests that the true cost of maintaining liberty is not merely being watchful or vigilant, but rather dealing with the inherent messiness and challenges that come with freedom. It implies that sustaining a free society involves confronting difficult realities and accepting the less glamorous aspects of preserving independence.
Themes
LibertyVigilanceFreedomTruthEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about civil rights, one could cite this quote to highlight the ongoing challenges faced in achieving true freedom.
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.
George OrwellRead
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Everything in the world is purchased by labor.
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