1984 Quote by George Orwell
““It was as though they were intentionally stepping nearer to their graves. As he sat waiting on the edge of the bed he thought again of the cellars of the Ministry of Love. It was curious how that predestined horror moved in and out of one's consciousness. There it lay, fixed in future time, preceding death as surely as 99 precedes 100. One could not avoid it, but one could perhaps postpone it: and yet instead, every now and again, by a conscious, willful act, one chose to shorten the interval before it happened.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: 1984, 1949
Facing inevitable death, one can either accept its certainty or deliberately shorten its arrival through conscious choices.
In simple terms: People may try to control or delay death.
Key Takeaway
Consider how you confront mortality.
Themes
mortality
destiny
consciousness
choice
Mood
somber
thoughtful
philosophical
Type
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- war
- political oppression
- personal crisis
- terminal illness
Key Concepts
existentialism
free will
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What actions, you take to feel agency over inevitable outcomes?
- Can confronting death change how you live now?
A Different Perspective
Attempting to control death can be illusory and cause anxiety.
![“The girl from the fiction department… was looking at him [Winston]… She was very young, he thought, she still expected something from life… She would not accept it as a law of nature that the individual is always defeated… All you needed was luck and cunning and boldness. She did not understand…” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00e/george-orwell-57_1984_the-girl-from-the-fiction-department-was_1023242.jpg)
