George Orwell (1903-1950) Author of Animal Farm and 1984, passes away on this day in 1950. Considering the events of the last year, I find it amazing how much insight he had as to what happens when you give the government(s) to much power.
First edition dust cover
1953 German edition of 1984 shown above
in 1954, Signet gave 1984 the pulp treatment with this cover
Quotes from 1984:
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
“The revolution will be complete when the language is perfect.”
“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.”
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
“One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.”
“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.”