--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was of course no way of knowing…" description: "\"There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/anonymous-1_assumption_there-was-of-course-no-way-of-knowing-wh_2548055.jpg" --- # There was of course no way of knowing whether you were… ![“There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/anonymous-1_assumption_there-was-of-course-no-way-of-knowing-wh_2548055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/anonymous-1_assumption_there-was-of-course-no-way-of-knowing-wh_2548055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/anonymous-1_assumption_there-was-of-course-no-way-of-knowing-wh_2548055.jpg) > “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct-in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living under constant surveillance creates a habit of self‑censorship and paranoia, making privacy feel impossible. **In simple terms:** Always watched forces constant self‑monitoring. Key Takeaway Cultivate private spaces and mental resilience. Themes surveillance paranoia privacy Mood anxious reflective Type literary political When to use this quote - daily life - online activity - workplace monitoring - government policy Key Concepts totalitarianism psychology social control Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of being watched change your behavior? - What private habits protect your inner self? A Different Perspective Even with surveillance, people can still find moments of genuine freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Thought police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-police/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It's the classic thing - children's TV gets watched by everybody, not just children. 'Horrible Histories' is the sort of thing everyone watches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/it-s-the-classic-thing-children-s-tv-gets-watched-by-everybody-not/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [The Thought Police: To censor and protect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-thought-police-to-censor-and-protect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They run off eckeltricity, do they?" he said knowledgeably. "Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," he added to Uncle Vernon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-run-off-eckeltricity-do-they-he-said-knowledgeably-ah-yes-i-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All America loses when any person is denied or forced out of a job because of sexual orientation. Being gay, the last time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-america-loses-when-any-person-is-denied-or-forced-out-of-a-job/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the evidence of history suggests that man is indeed a rational animal, but with a near infinite capacity for folly. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-the-evidence-of-history-suggests-that-man-is-indeed-a-rational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Down deep in his heart he knew that we all have the same promise of the unlimited help of the Universal Intelligence that guides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-deep-in-his-heart-he-knew-that-we-all-have-the-same-promise-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Soft money will find its way and seep into the political system and corrode it, unless we plug every hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/soft-money-will-find-its-way-and-seep-into-the-political-system-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I watched, hoping she wouldn't come out too broke. It's all you can do for people sometimes, no matter how much you love them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-watched-hoping-she-wouldn-t-come-out-too-broke-it-s-all-you-can-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What gets watched improves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-gets-watched-improves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He watched her take off her makeup and wondered why she even puts it on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-watched-her-take-off-her-makeup-and-wondered-why-she-even-puts-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As I watched you walk away, I watched every dream I had never dreamed, I saw every wish that was yet to come true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-i-watched-you-walk-away-i-watched-every-dream-i-had-never-dreamed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't get over someone when you break up, you get over them after you've watched them move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-get-over-someone-when-you-break-up-you-get-over-them-after/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For it is a serious thing to have been watched. We all radiate something curiously intimate when we believe ourselves to be alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-it-is-a-serious-thing-to-have-been-watched-we-all-radiate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I watched you walk away, I never thought I'd say...I'm fine without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-watched-you-walk-away-i-never-thought-i-d-say-i-m-fine-without/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Without your knowledge, you are being monitored. Watched through your computer, while in the comfort of your home. Followed, wherever you go. At any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-your-knowledge-you-are-being-monitored-watched-through-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) Philip Selznick > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. 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