Winston Smith: Does Big Brother exist? O'Brien: Of course he exists. Winston Smith: Does he exist like you or me? O'Brien: You do not exist.

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

The past is whatever the records and the memories agree upon.

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.

Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one. At one time it had been a sign of madness to believe that the Earth goes round the Sun; today, to believe the past is inalterable. He might be alone in holding that belief, and if alone, then a lunatic. But the thought of being a lunatic did not greatly trouble him; the horror was that he might also be wrong.

Fate seemed to be playing a series of extraordinarily unamusing jokes.