--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And yet it was a fact that if Syme…" description: "\"“And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three seconds, the nature of his, Winston's, secret opinions, he would betray him instantly to th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/george-orwell-57_betray_and-yet-it-was-a-fact-that-if-syme-grasp_2874366.jpg" --- # And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three… ![“And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three seconds, the nature of his, Winston's, secret opinions, he would betray him instantly to the Thought Police. So would anybody else for that matter: but Syme more than most. Zeal was not enough. Orthodoxy was unconsciousness.” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/george-orwell-57_betray_and-yet-it-was-a-fact-that-if-syme-grasp_2874366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/george-orwell-57_betray_and-yet-it-was-a-fact-that-if-syme-grasp_2874366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06a/george-orwell-57_betray_and-yet-it-was-a-fact-that-if-syme-grasp_2874366.jpg) > ““And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three seconds, the nature of his, Winston's, secret opinions, he would betray him instantly to the Thought Police. So would anybody else for that matter: but Syme more than most. Zeal was not enough. Orthodoxy was unconsciousness.”” [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. In a totalitarian regime, even brief insight into another's thoughts leads to betrayal; loyalty is forced, not genuine. **In simple terms:** Brief insight triggers betrayal in oppressive societies. Key Takeaway Guard thoughts, trust cautiously. Themes totalitarianism trust surveillance Mood anxious paranoid Type political philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - authoritarian governments Key Concepts psychology of betrayal political control Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect personal thoughts in a monitoring environment? - Can loyalty exist without fear? A Different Perspective Trust cannot be assured under constant surveillance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Individualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualism/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Political correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-correctness/) [Thought police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-police/) ## Related quotes > [Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/orthodoxy-means-not-thinking-not-needing-to-think-orthodoxy-is/) [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?... Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-aim-of-newspeak-is-to-narrow-the-range-7/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-whole-climate-of-thought-will-be-different-in-fact-there-will-be/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/orthodoxy-is-unconsciousness/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“No matter what you do, no matter what you say, someone out there will proclaim how outraged they are, because they think it's their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/no-matter-what-you-do-no-matter-what-you-say-someone-out-there-will/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [“The term "political correctness" has always appalled me, reminding me of Orwell's "Thought Police" and fascist regimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/the-term-political-correctness-has-always-appalled-me-reminding-me-of/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [“Parsons was Winston’s fellow employee at the Ministry of Truth. He was a fattish but active man of paralyzing stupidity, a mass of imbecile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/parsons-was-winston-s-fellow-employee-at-the-ministry-of-truth-he-was/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The girl with dark hair was coming towards them across the field. With what seemed a single movement she tore off her clothes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-girl-with-dark-hair-was-coming-towards-them-across-the-field-with/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“She would not accept it as a law of nature that the individual is always defeated. In a way she realized that she herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/she-would-not-accept-it-as-a-law-of-nature-that-the-individual-is/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“ April the 4th, 1984. To the past, or to the future. To an age when thought is free. From the Age of Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/april-the-4th-1984-to-the-past-or-to-the-future-to-an-age-when/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We are the dead. Our only true life is in the future. We shall take part in it as handfuls of dust and splinters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/we-are-the-dead-our-only-true-life-is-in-the-future-we-shall-take-3/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [It was with the last revolution and the coming of INGSOC (Inglish/English Socialism) that the latest High learnt how to keep their position permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-with-the-last-revolution-and-the-coming-of-ingsoc-inglish/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children. And with good reason, for hardly a week passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-almost-normal-for-people-over-thirty-to-be-frightened-of-their/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The family had become in effect an extension of the Thought Police. It was a device by means of which everyone could be surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-family-had-become-in-effect-an-extension-of-the-thought-police-it/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/thoughtcrime-was-not-a-thing-that-could-be-concealed-forever-you/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## 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 Betray quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [“Ash,” Mab crooned as he drew near. “My poor boy. Rowan told me what happened between the two of you, but I know you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/ash-mab-crooned-as-he-drew-near-my-poor-boy-rowan-told-me-what/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Even if we have to go without bread, we Albanians do not violate principles. We do not betray Marxism - Leninism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/even-if-we-have-to-go-without-bread-we-albanians-do-not-violate/) [Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/) > [Stop holding onto people that treat you like crap. They might be nice sometimes, but the rest of the time they disrespect you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-holding-onto-people-that-treat-you-like-crap-they-might-be-nice/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/now-the-brother-shall-betray-the-brother-to-death-and-the-father-the/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [One day you and I will have to have a little talk about this business called love. I still don't understand what it's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/one-day-you-and-i-will-have-to-have-a-little-talk-about-this-business/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) > [Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can't ensure, who may stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/waking-up-every-day-and-loving-someone-who-may-or-may-not-love-us/) [Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [The zombie is in a lot of ways the perfect horror movie bad guy. It plays on so many fears all at once. 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To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-ea/it-is-up-to-us-to-take-care-of-this-planet-it-is-our-only-home-to/) [Prince Ea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-ea/) > [In his bleak mercy, Death forever strips The soul of light and memory, rendering blind Our vision, lest surmounted deeps appal, As when on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-ashton-smith/in-his-bleak-mercy-death-forever-strips-the-soul-of-light-and-memory/) [Clark Ashton Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-ashton-smith/) Browse all 966 Betray quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three seconds, the nature of his, Winston's, secret opinions, he would betray him instantly to the Thought Police. So would anybody else for that matter: but Syme more than most. Zeal was not enough. 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