--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In times of universal deceit, telling the…" description: "\"“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolucionary act.”\" — George Orwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg" --- # In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a… ![“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolucionary act.” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg) > ““In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolucionary act.”” [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 world of widespread lies, speaking honestly is a rebellious act. **In simple terms:** Truth‑telling is radical when deception is common. Key Takeaway Speak truth even when it feels dangerous. Themes truth rebellion integrity Mood cautious defiant Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - activism - personal relationships - public discourse Key Concepts political philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - When is truth more harmful than helpful? - How can we protect truth‑tellers? A Different Perspective Truth can endanger the speaker in hostile environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) [Deceit Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit-telling-253203/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Telling truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-truth/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Revolucionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-revolucionary-253201/) [Universal Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal-deceit-253202/) ## Related quotes > [In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-time-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-is-a-revolutionary-act/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/during-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-becomes-a/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-will-be-a/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“But I do know that in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/but-i-do-know-that-in-a-time-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-is/) [S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/) > [In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-time-of-deceit-telling-the-truth-is-a-revolutionary-act/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In a time of deceit telling the "truth" is a revolutionary act...Keep doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/in-a-time-of-deceit-telling-the-truth-is-a-revolutionary-act-keep/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“Telling the truth may cause a few seconds of pain, but there's no medicine that can manage the pain of keeping lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-m-ford/telling-the-truth-may-cause-a-few-seconds-of-pain-but-there-s-no/) [R.M. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-m-ford/) > [“We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. If liberty means anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/we-have-now-sunk-to-a-depth-at-which-restatement-of-the-obvious-is-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“He wrote: ‘We make ourselves real by telling the truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-durham/he-wrote-we-make-ourselves-real-by-telling-the-truth/) [Geoffrey Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-durham/) > [I'm quite a good reader of people; I like to meet people, and I can tell if they're lying or not, and I've certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/i-m-quite-a-good-reader-of-people-i-like-to-meet-people-and-i-can/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [I don't think telling the truth ever gets anyone in trouble in the long run. Maybe the day after, but not in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-spurrier/i-don-t-think-telling-the-truth-ever-gets-anyone-in-trouble-in-the/) [Steve Spurrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-spurrier/) > [“Publicly telling the truth on social media can be one of the most effective healing journeys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/publicly-telling-the-truth-on-social-media-can-be-one-of-the-most/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [One must be very particular about telling the truth. Through truth one can realize God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/one-must-be-very-particular-about-telling-the-truth-through-truth-one/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) ## 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 Deceit quotes > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't let him, trick you into thinking he will always be there for you, because the minute a more prettier women walks into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-him-trick-you-into-thinking-he-will-always-be-there-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A false mind is false in everything, just as a cross eye always looks askant. But one may err once, nay, a hundred times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-false-mind-is-false-in-everything-just-as-a-cross-eye-always-looks/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Self-deceit is a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/self-deceit-is-a-sure-defeat/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/only-fools-argue-whether-to-eat-meat-or-not-they-don-t-understand/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [“You can be bit in the leg by a rattlesnake and seek help to heal your wound, or you can run after it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-be-bit-in-the-leg-by-a-rattlesnake-and-seek-help-to-heal-your/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [While the prosecution has said this is about the defendants lies, one worries that those lies already have been buried under too much discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/while-the-prosecution-has-said-this-is-about-the-defendants-lies-one/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/it-is-discouraging-how-many-people-are-shocked-by-honesty-and-how-few/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“They have secret weapons that break the heart of innocents, elevate stress levels, shoot down to make it look guilt. They can burn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-karvouni/they-have-secret-weapons-that-break-the-heart-of-innocents-elevate/) [Maria Karvouni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-karvouni/) > [Our distrust of another justifies his deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-distrust-of-another-justifies-his-deceit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [You used me when you needed a companion, I love you unconditionally. Now you think you are done while I can't get over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/you-used-me-when-you-needed-a-companion-i-love-you-unconditionally/) [Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/) [Browse all 990 Deceit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolucionary act.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Orwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-becomes-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-becomes-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/george-orwell-57_deceit_in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the_2428745.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolucionary act.” — 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": "“In times of universal deceit, telling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-becomes-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-times-of-universal-deceit-telling-the-truth-becomes-a/#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 } } ] } ```