Prolonged, indiscriminate reviewing of books is a quite exceptionally thankless, irritating and exhausting job. It not only involves praising trash but constantly inventing reactions towards books about which one has no spontaneous feeling whatever.

Quote by George Orwell

Topics: Books Quotes

Joyce is a poet and also an elephantine pedant.

Joyce is a poet and also an elephantine pedant.

On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not...

On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not...

If you have embraced a creed which appears to be free from the ordinary dirtiness...

If you have embraced a creed which appears to be free from the ordinary dirtiness...

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass...

The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass...

The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind...

The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind...

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to...

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to...

The atmosphere of orthodoxy is always damaging to prose, and above all it is completely...

The atmosphere of orthodoxy is always damaging to prose, and above all it is completely...

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.

Part of the reason for the ugliness of adults, in a child's eyes, is that...

Part of the reason for the ugliness of adults, in a child's eyes, is that...

War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.

War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents

As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents

The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.

The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to...

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to...

Throughout recorded time... there have been three kinds of people in the world, the High,...

Throughout recorded time... there have been three kinds of people in the world, the High,...

Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good...

Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good...

Progress is not an illusion, it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.

Progress is not an illusion, it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.

No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought...

No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought...

All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who...

All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who...

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's...

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's...