George Orwell Quotes

The social revolution is seriously compromised if it comes through a political revolution.

The word 'revolution' is a word for which you kill, for which you die, for which you send the labouring masses to their deaths; but which does not contain any content.

Perhaps a revolution can overthrow autocratic despotism and profiteering or power-grabbing oppression, but it can never truly reform a manner of thinking; instead, new prejudices, just like the old ones they replace, will serve as a leash for the great unthinking mass.

REVOLUTION, n. A bursting of the boilers which usually takes place when the safety valve of public discussion is closed.

Revolution is just one crowd taking power from another.

More and more, revolution has found itself delivered into the hands of its bureaucrats and doctrinaires on the one hand, and to the enfeebled and bewildered masses on the other.

It's always the small people who change things. It's never the politicians or the big guys. I mean, who pulled down the Berlin wall? It was all the people in the streets. The specialists didn't have a clue the day before.

In most revolutions, where events are drawn out, particularly after the initial flush of victory, the masses can feel the gains of the revolution slipping from their hands. The advanced sections of the proletariat, realizing the dangerous situation, begin to become impatient and attempt to recapture the initiative

Revolutions are not improvised. They are not made at will by individuals, and not even by the most powerful associations. They come about through force of circumstances, and are independent of any deliberate will or conspiracy.

All great revolutions are led by aristocrats.

The generation which commences a revolution can rarely complete it

It’s only at certain points in history that people realize just how much power that they have.

Americans have a tendency to exalt the concept of a popular uprising.

It is not the kings and generals that make history, but the masses of the people.

Somehow, the guys in power have to be reached by counter-power, or through a change in their hearts and minds, or change will not come.

A revolution is generally only evolution--an explosive sequence of events crowded into a short space of time, but leaving more of the ancient regime untouched than usually is at first apparent.

Rebellions which overthrow the governments of Mexico cannot be called revolutions. A revolution is a radical change, and if there is anything that has never been changed in Mexico it is the method of putting new public functionaries into office by rebellion.

We are the most conservative revolutionaries that ever put through a successful revolution.

Grasp Revolution

Part of the reason why I'm supporting Trump is that I think we need a more radical, new approach to government - at least in the U.S. - from what we've had before.

Progressive, radical, or even revolutionary change has always come from below.

We should certainly know by now that it is one thing to overthrow a dictator or repel an invader and quite another thing really to achieve a revolution. Time and time and time again, the people discover that they have merely betrayed themselves into the hands of yet another Pharaoh, who, since he was necessary to put the broken country together, will not let them go.

Nothing has ever remained of any revolution but what was ripe in the conscience of the masses.

There's one hole in every revolution, large or small. And it's one word long— PEOPLE. No matter how big the idea they all stand under, people are small and weak and cheap and frightened. It's people that kill every revolution.

It is curious - but you cannot make a revolution without honest men. ... Every revolution has had its honest men. They are soon disposed of afterwards.