Brave new world Quote by Aldous Huxley
““If you want to preserve your power indefinitely, you have to get the consent of the ruled. And this they will do, partly by drugs as I foresaw in Brave New World, partly by these new techniques of propaganda. They will do it by bypassing the sort of rational side of man, and appealing to his subconscious and his deeper emotions, and his physiology even. And so making him actually love his slavery. I mean, I think this is the danger: that actually people may be in some ways happy under the new regime, but they will be happy in situations where they oughtn't to be happy.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1932
Power can be maintained indefinitely by securing the consent of the governed through manipulation of subconscious desires and emotions, making people love their own oppression.
In simple terms: Control is kept by making people enjoy their oppression.
Key Takeaway
Seek awareness of manipulation and protect rational autonomy.
Themes
power
consent
manipulation
happiness
freedom
Mood
cautious
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
political
warning
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- marketing
- education
- media consumption
- public policy
Key Concepts
propaganda
psychology
physiology
social control
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we recognize when our happiness is engineered?
- What safeguards can preserve rational autonomy?
A Different Perspective
If people truly understand the manipulation, they may resist, but resistance can be suppressed by the same techniques.
![“In other words, I feel that the nightmare of Nineteen Eighty-Four is destined to modulate into the nightmare of a world having more resemblance to that which I imagined in Brave New World..." [Quote taken from Aldous Huxley's letter to George Orwell 21 October, 1949]” quote by Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1bb/aldous-huxley-97_brave-new-world_in-other-words-i-feel-that-the-nightmare_71691.jpg)
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