---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George Orwell was skeptical of this…"
description: "\"“George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has a toothache and therefore thinks happiness..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png"
---

#  George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all…

![“George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has a toothache and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having a toothache.” quote by Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png)

> ““George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has a toothache and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having a toothache.””

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

## About This Quote

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

Utopian visions often stem from personal discomfort, projecting personal relief onto society.

**In simple terms:** Personal pain fuels idealistic ideas.

Key Takeaway

Question the motives behind idealism.

Themes

idealism psychology societal critique

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- political theory
- social movements
- philosophical discourse

Key Concepts

subjective experience collective aspirations

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal grievances shape your worldview?
- Can a society address individual suffering without imposing a single ideal?

A Different Perspective

Utopias may ignore practical constraints and diverse needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Utopia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utopia/)

## Related quotes

> [Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache. They wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/nearly-all-creators-of-utopia-have-resembled-the-man-who-has-2/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache... whoever tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/nearly-all-creators-of-utopia-have-resembled-the-man-who-has/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/nearly-all-creators-of-utopia-have-resembled-the-man-who-has-3/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“The man with toothache thinks everyone happy whose teeth are sound. The poverty stricken man makes the same mistake about the rich man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-man-with-toothache-thinks-everyone-happy-whose-teeth-are-sound/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The word "utopia" has two meanings. It means both "good place" and "nowhere". That's the way it should be. The happiest places, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/the-word-utopia-has-two-meanings-it-means-both-good-place-and-nowhere/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“I want to give just a slight indication of the influence the book has had. I knew that George Orwell , in his second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-want-to-give-just-a-slight-indication-of-the-influence-the-book-has/)

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

> [“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

> [“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/)

## More by Eric Weiner

> [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Money sometimes buys happiness. You have to break it down, though. Money is a means to an end. The problem is when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/money-sometimes-buys-happiness-you-have-to-break-it-down-though-money/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“My way of thinking is completely different,” he says. “I have no such mountains to scale; basically, I find that living itself is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/my-way-of-thinking-is-completely-different-he-says-i-have-no-such/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Social scientists estimate that about 70 percent of our happiness stems from our relationships, both quantity and quality, with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/social-scientists-estimate-that-about-70-percent-of-our-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have" ... we experience flow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/it-is-not-the-skills-we-actually-have-that-determine-how-we-feel-but/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“In a nutshell, Gross National Happiness seeks to measure a nation’s progress not by its balance sheet but rather by the happiness—or unhappiness—of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/in-a-nutshell-gross-national-happiness-seeks-to-measure-a-nation-s/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [You look around the world at geniuses, and they don't appear randomly, they appear in genius clusters. Athens in 50 BC, Florence 1500, Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-look-around-the-world-at-geniuses-and-they-don-t-appear-randomly/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [What is the ideal audio atmosphere for creativity and it turns out it is not complete silence, and it is not a very loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/what-is-the-ideal-audio-atmosphere-for-creativity-and-it-turns-out-it/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Bhutan is the land of la. The monosyllabic word serves as all-purpose affirmation, honorific, and verbal tic. Mostly, it is a softener, appended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/bhutan-is-the-land-of-la-the-monosyllabic-word-serves-as-all-purpose/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“He tells me of one American woman, forty-five years old, who was able to conceive only after being blessed by the Holy Dildo. That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/he-tells-me-of-one-american-woman-forty-five-years-old-who-was-able/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“We need to a new word to describe Swiss happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-need-to-a-new-word-to-describe-swiss-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“The narrator, in a voice-of-God tenor, explains the experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/the-narrator-in-a-voice-of-god-tenor-explains-the-experiment/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Yes, but it doesn’t matter, Csíkszentmihalyi argues. Either way, we experience flow, a state of mind where we are so engaged in an activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/yes-but-it-doesn-t-matter-cs-kszentmihalyi-argues-either-way-we/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else. Maybe the current conditions in Switzerland .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/maybe-happiness-is-this-not-feeling-like-you-should-be-elsewhere/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [“Everyone has their own idea of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/everyone-has-their-own-idea-of-happiness/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

[Explore all 194 Eric Weiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

## More Happiness quotes

> [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/)

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/)

[Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/)

> [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/)

[MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [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/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/)

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

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/)

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

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

Pancho Barnes

[Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has a toothache and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having a toothache.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Weiner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-approach-nearly-all-creators-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Happiness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-approach-nearly-all-creators-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f30/eric-weiner-1843_happiness_george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-appr_492086.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“George Orwell was skeptical of this approach: “Nearly all creators of utopia have resembled the man who has…” — Eric Weiner",
                "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": "Eric Weiner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“George Orwell was skeptical of this...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-approach-nearly-all-creators-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/george-orwell-was-skeptical-of-this-approach-nearly-all-creators-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
