--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man may take to drink because he feels…" description: "\"A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg" --- # A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a… ![“A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language…” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg) > “A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language deteriorates when thoughts become careless; sloppy language encourages foolish thinking, creating a vicious cycle. **In simple terms:** Bad language leads to bad thoughts, and vice versa. Key Takeaway Cultivate precise, thoughtful language to improve thinking. Themes language thought culture self‑criticism communication Mood critical reflective Type essay social commentary When to use this quote - writing - public discourse - education - media consumption Key Concepts linguistic decay cognitive bias social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does your everyday language reflect your thinking? - What steps can you take to improve linguistic clarity? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook structural factors influencing language change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Drink Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink-feels-1052376/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-thoughts-2276578/) [Inaccurate Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inaccurate-thoughts-4463961/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Thoughts Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-foolish-4463960/) [Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“A man may take to drink because he feels himself a failure, but then fail all the more completely because he drinks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels-himself-a-failure-but-then/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-slovenliness-of-our-language-makes-it-easier-for-us-to-have/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“If you would but consider your own unattractive exterior, your unamiable reserve, your foolish diffidence, which must make you appear cold, dull, awkward, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/if-you-would-but-consider-your-own-unattractive-exterior-your/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“For a long time, when it's working, the drink feels like a path to a kind of self-enlightenment, something that turns us into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/for-a-long-time-when-it-s-working-the-drink-feels-like-a-path-to-a/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [You think to yourself, “If one drink feels really good and two feels really, really good, a hundred ought to feel fantastic.” As sane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-severson/you-think-to-yourself-if-one-drink-feels-really-good-and-two-feels/) [Kim Severson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-severson/) > [“Look into the irrationality closely, with a determination not to respect it, and not to let it dominate you. Whenever it thrusts foolish thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/look-into-the-irrationality-closely-with-a-determination-not-to/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Thinking that the next person, the next relationship, the next experience will free you - these are foolish thoughts of people who are bound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/thinking-that-the-next-person-the-next-relationship-the-next/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Darling girl, blinded by foolish thoughts of love. How to tell her that the hearts of men were not so easily won. If won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/darling-girl-blinded-by-foolish-thoughts-of-love-how-to-tell-her-that/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [But have you wine and music still,And statues and a bright-eyed love,And foolish thoughts of good and ill,And prayers to them who sit above?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elroy-flecker/but-have-you-wine-and-music-still-and-statues-and-a-bright-eyed-love/) [James Elroy Flecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elroy-flecker/) > [“Has it ever occurred to you,’ he said, ‘that the whole history of English poetry has been determined by the fact that the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/has-it-ever-occurred-to-you-he-said-that-the-whole-history-of-english/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Nevertheless . . was a word, certainly, but much more than a word, it was a concept. "Nevertheless" was what you said when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/nevertheless-was-a-word-certainly-but-much-more-than-a-word-it-was-a/) [Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/) > [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) ## More by George Orwell > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The actual writing would be easy. All he had to do was to transfer to paper the interminable restless monologue that had been running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-actual-writing-would-be-easy-all-he-had-to-do-was-to-transfer-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-felt-as-though-he-were-wandering-in-the-forests-of-the-sea-bottom/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“if you took 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen, and in every verse wrote 'money' instead of 'charity', the chapter had ten times as much meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-took-1-corinthians-chapter-thirteen-and-in-every-verse-wrote/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Happiness can exist only in acceptance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/happiness-can-exist-only-in-acceptance/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Whitman himself "accepted" a great deal that his contemporaries found unmentionable. For he is not only writing of the prairie, he also wanders through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/whitman-himself-accepted-a-great-deal-that-his-contemporaries-found/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Whatever the Party holds to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/but-i-tell-you-winston-that-reality-is-not-external-reality-exists-in/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“And the people under the sky were also very much the same...everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-people-under-the-sky-were-also-very-much-the-same-everywhere/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-aim-of-newspeak-is-to-narrow-the-range/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on--that is, badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/windmill-or-no-windmill-he-said-life-would-go-on-as-it-had-always/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/man-is-the-only-creature-that-consumes-without-producing-he-does-not/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Any writer or journalist who wants to retain his integrity finds himself thwarted by the general drift of society rather than by active persecution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/any-writer-or-journalist-who-wants-to-retain-his-integrity-finds/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) [Explore all 1,657 George Orwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More Drink quotes > [When you drink from the stream remember the spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/when-you-drink-from-the-stream-remember-the-spring/) [Chinese Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverbs/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [“Never date a man who can’t out-drink you in tequila.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-l-maxwell/never-date-a-man-who-can-t-out-drink-you-in-tequila/) [Gina L. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-l-maxwell/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Obediently, I squash into a corner with a glass of cider. A chalkboard menu declares that the special of the day is stargazy pie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-madeleine/obediently-i-squash-into-a-corner-with-a-glass-of-cider-a-chalkboard/) [Laura Madeleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-madeleine/) > [I still get nervous about singing. I drink tea with honey and lemon before every concert. And I need to have scented candles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-still-get-nervous-about-singing-i-drink-tea-with-honey-and-lemon/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [“I don't drink since it ruined the best thing I ever had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-lauren/i-don-t-drink-since-it-ruined-the-best-thing-i-ever-had/) [Kimberly Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-lauren/) > [Before everyshow I do like a thousand... I drink ten glasses of water!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-brothers/before-everyshow-i-do-like-a-thousand-i-drink-ten-glasses-of-water/) [Jonas Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-brothers/) > [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I get pretty focused when I start working on something. And I drink a lot of water, way more than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-woodman/i-get-pretty-focused-when-i-start-working-on-something-and-i-drink-a/) [Nick Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-woodman/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) [Browse all 5,653 Drink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Orwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels-himself-to-he-a-failure-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drink" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels-himself-to-he-a-failure-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/george-orwell-57_drink_a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels_1330685.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man may take to drink because he feels himself to he a failure, and then fail all the more completely…” — George Orwell", "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": "George Orwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man may take to drink...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels-himself-to-he-a-failure-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/a-man-may-take-to-drink-because-he-feels-himself-to-he-a-failure-and/#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 } } ] } ```