The existence of good bad literature—the fact that one can be amused or excited or even moved by a book that one's intellect simply refuses to take seriously—is a reminder that art is not the same thing as cerebration.

It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.' 'Why not?' 'It would have no vitality. It would disintegrate. It would commit suicide.

A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, but then fail all the more completely because he drinks.

Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary.

It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level.

If there really is such a thing as turning in one's grave, Shakespeare must get a lot of exercise.

He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear.