1984 quotes about war
George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, has left a lasting impact on readers since its publication in 1949. The novel explores themes of totalitarianism, surveillance, and the manipulation of truth. One of the recurring motifs in 1984 is the concept of war. In the novel, war is not only used as a tool to maintain power but also as a means to control the minds and actions of the citizens. Here, we have compiled a list of thought-provoking quotes about war from 1984.
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” This iconic quote from 1984 encapsulates the Party’s manipulation of language and the twisting of reality. In the novel, war is presented as a necessary means to achieve peace and stability. It serves as a distraction for the citizens, diverting their attention from the oppressive regime they live under. Through perpetual warfare, the Party can maintain control and prevent any uprising or resistance.
Another notable quote from 1984 about war is, “The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous.” This quote highlights the Party’s strategy of engaging in a never-ending war. By keeping the population in a constant state of fear and uncertainty, the Party ensures their loyalty and obedience. War becomes a tool to manipulate the citizens, shaping their thoughts and actions to align with the Party’s agenda.
Read these 1984 quotes about war
“In our world, there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. The sex instinct will be eradicated. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now.”
“The essence of oligarchical rule is not father-to-son inheritance, but the persistence of a certain world-view and a certain way of life, imposed by the dead upon the living.”
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”
“Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.”
“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
“Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution to establish the dictatorship.”
“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.”
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”
“The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.”
“The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.”
“The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness; only power, pure power.”
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
“All rulers in all ages have tried to impose a false view of the world upon their followers.”
“Reality exists in the human mind and nowhere else.”
“The war is waged by each ruling group against its own subjects, and the object of the war is not to make or prevent conquests of territory, but to keep the structure of society intact.”
“Until they became conscious, they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious.”
“The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.”
“Reality control, they called it: in Newspeak, doublethink.”
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”
These quotes from 1984 shed light on the complex relationship between war, power, and control depicted in the novel. They serve as a reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism and the importance of safeguarding individual freedoms and truth.
