---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George Orwell's contention was that it is…"
description: "\"George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by their right names and described in plain, forth..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg"
---

#  George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of…

![“George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by their right names and described in plain, forthright speech.” quote by Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg)

> “George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by their right names and described in plain, forthright speech.”

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When language loses precise naming, it signals societal decay and manipulation.

**In simple terms:** Loss of clear naming shows trouble.

Key Takeaway

Watch for vague language.

Themes

language truth society

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical observational

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media analysis
- education
- public policy

Key Concepts

semantic decay political manipulation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does naming affect power?
- What are examples of euphemistic language?

A Different Perspective

Vague language can be intentional to obscure truth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/)

## Related quotes

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/in-other-words-i-feel-that-the-nightmare-of-nineteen-eighty-four-is/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [George Orwell is a pinnacle writer, for his combination of moral insight and literary writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/george-orwell-is-a-pinnacle-writer-for-his-combination-of-moral/)

[Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/)

> [“This country is like a family,” he muttered, quoting George Orwell, “with the wrong members in control.” Even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/this-country-is-like-a-family-he-muttered-quoting-george-orwell-with/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [George Orwell once blamed the demise of the English language on politics. It's quite possible he never read a prospectus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-levitt-jr/george-orwell-once-blamed-the-demise-of-the-english-language-on/)

[Arthur Levitt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-levitt-jr/)

> [For many, the recent disclosure of massive warrantless surveillance programs of all citizens by the Obama administration has brought back memories of George Orwell's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/for-many-the-recent-disclosure-of-massive-warrantless-surveillance/)

[Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/)

> [I was obsessed with George Orwell for years. I remember going to the town library and having to put in interlibrary loan requests to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/i-was-obsessed-with-george-orwell-for-years-i-remember-going-to-the/)

[Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/)

> [“Though he never actually joined it, he was close to some civilian elements of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/though-he-never-actually-joined-it-he-was-close-to-some-civilian/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Freedom is slavery,” wrote George Orwell in his novel 1984.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/freedom-is-slavery-wrote-george-orwell-in-his-novel-1984/)

[Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/)

> [“WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. The Three Slogans of the Party George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/war-is-peace-freedom-is-slavery-ignorance-is-strength-the-three/)

[Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/)

> [George Orwell said, "Whoever controls the past controls the future," by which he meant that history is incredibly important in shaping the world view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-orwell-said-whoever-controls-the-past-controls-the-future-by/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [“About these developments George Orwell , in Nineteen Eighty-Four , was quite wrong. He described a new kind of state and police tyranny, under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lukacs/about-these-developments-george-orwell-in-nineteen-eighty-four-was/)

[John Lukacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lukacs/)

> [' The People will believe , what the Media tells them , they will believe' George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/the-people-will-believe-what-the-media-tells-them-they-will-believe/)

[Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/)

> [George Orwell was right. There's no greater genius as far as I'm concerned in terms of understanding human nature. I think that a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/george-orwell-was-right-there-s-no-greater-genius-as-far-as-i-m/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it. (Misattributed to George Orwell)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selwyn-duke/the-further-a-society-drifts-from-truth-the-more-it-will-hate-those/)

Selwyn Duke

> [I'd always been a great fan of George Orwell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-always-been-a-great-fan-of-george-orwell/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Christopher Lasch

> [The news appeals to the same jaded appetite that makes a child tire of a toy as soon as it becomes familiar and demand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/the-news-appeals-to-the-same-jaded-appetite-that-makes-a-child-tire/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Most women are pragmatists who have allowed extremists on the left and right to manipulate the family issue for their own purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/most-women-are-pragmatists-who-have-allowed-extremists-on-the-left/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [“Members of the educated elite upheld open-mindedness as the supreme political virtue but refused to debate their own idea of the good life, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/members-of-the-educated-elite-upheld-open-mindedness-as-the-supreme/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Neoclassical economics insists that advertising cannot force consumers to buy anything they don't already want to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/neoclassical-economics-insists-that-advertising-cannot-force/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [It is the logic of consumerism that undermines the values of loyalty and permanence and promotes a different set of values that is destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/it-is-the-logic-of-consumerism-that-undermines-the-values-of-loyalty/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [It is a tribute to the peculiar horror of contemporary life that it makes the worst features of earlier times -- the stupefaction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/it-is-a-tribute-to-the-peculiar-horror-of-contemporary-life-that-it/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Relentless improvement of the product and upgrading of consumer tastes are the heart of mass merchandising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/relentless-improvement-of-the-product-and-upgrading-of-consumer/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [The model of ownership, in a society organized round mass consumption, is addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/the-model-of-ownership-in-a-society-organized-round-mass-consumption/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [We demand too much of life, too little of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/we-demand-too-much-of-life-too-little-of-ourselves/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [We live in a historical period characterized by a sharp discrepancy between the intellectual development of man... and his mental-emotional development, which has left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/we-live-in-a-historical-period-characterized-by-a-sharp-discrepancy/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [The intellectual debility of contemporary conservatism is indicated by its silence on all important matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/the-intellectual-debility-of-contemporary-conservatism-is-indicated/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Ostensibly rigorous and realistic, contemporary conservatism is an ideology of denial. Its symbol is a smile button.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/ostensibly-rigorous-and-realistic-contemporary-conservatism-is-an/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Adherents of the new religious right reject the separation of politics and religion, but they bring no spiritual insights to politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/adherents-of-the-new-religious-right-reject-the-separation-of/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Today Americans are overcome not by the sense of endless possibility but by the banality of the social order they have erected against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/today-americans-are-overcome-not-by-the-sense-of-endless-possibility/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

> [Propaganda in the ordinary sense of the term plays a less important part in a consumer society, where people greet all official pronouncements with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/propaganda-in-the-ordinary-sense-of-the-term-plays-a-less-important/)

[Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

[Explore all 82 Christopher Lasch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by their right names and described in plain, forthright speech.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Lasch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-is-a-sure-sign-of-trouble-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-is-a-sure-sign-of-trouble-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/christopher-lasch-8262_communication_george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-i_2138236.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by…” — Christopher Lasch",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Christopher Lasch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "George Orwell's contention was that it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-is-a-sure-sign-of-trouble-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/george-orwell-s-contention-was-that-it-is-a-sure-sign-of-trouble-when/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
