“A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats.”

—  George Orwell

Source: All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays

Last update Sept. 30, 2023. History

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George Orwell photo
George Orwell 473
English author and journalist 1903–1950

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“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves”

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“Strictly speaking, as a Nationalist, he was an enemy, but since in every crisis he would exert himself to prevent violence — which, from the British point of view, meant preventing any effective action whatever — he could be regarded as "our man."”

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In private this was sometimes cynically admitted. The attitude of the Indian millionaires was similar. Gandhi called upon them to repent, and naturally they preferred him to the Socialists and Communists who, given the chance, would actually have taken their money away. How reliable such calculations are in the long run is doubtful; as Gandhi himself says, "in the end deceivers deceive only themselves"; but at any rate the gentleness with which he was nearly always handled was due partly to the feeling that he was useful.
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