---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While the game of deadlocks and…"
description: "\"While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on, another more serious game is also being played. It is governed by two axioms. One is that there c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg"
---

#  While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on…

![“While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on, another more serious game is also being played. It is governed by two axioms. One is that there can be no peace without a general surrender of sovereignty: the other is that no country capable of defending its sovereignty ever surrenders it. If…” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg)

> “While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on, another more serious game is also being played. It is governed by two axioms. One is that there can be no peace without a general surrender of sovereignty: the other is that no country capable of defending its sovereignty ever surrenders it. If one keeps these axioms in mind one can generally see the relevant facts in international affairs through the smoke-screen with which the newspapers surround them.”

[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.

Power dynamics in international relations are shaped by sovereignty and the impossibility of peace without surrender, revealing hidden motives behind media narratives.

**In simple terms:** Sovereignty prevents peace without surrender, media hides true motives.

Key Takeaway

Question the narratives and consider sovereignty's role.

Themes

politics sovereignty media international relations

Mood

skeptical analytical

Type

critical political

When to use this quote

- diplomatic negotiations
- policy analysis
- media literacy
- geopolitical strategy

Key Concepts

realism power dynamics media framing

Questions to Reflect On

- How does media shape your view of international conflicts?
- Can peace be achieved without surrender?

A Different Perspective

Sovereignty can be compromised by internal pressures, limiting the axiom.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Axioms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/axioms/) [Being played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-played/) [Bottles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottles/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Defending Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defending-sovereignty-5793106/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international/) [International affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-affairs/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Necks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necks/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Relevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevant/) [Screens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screens/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) [Sovereignty Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty-country-4602000/) [Sovereignty Surrenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty-surrenders-5793105/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Surrender Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender-sovereignty-1429654/) [Surround](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surround/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/)

## Related quotes

> [We're going to capture the lost sovereignty of our country... And when we get there, my friends, we will only be obedient to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/we-re-going-to-capture-the-lost-sovereignty-of-our-country-and-when/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [Now therefore, be it Resolved by the Fiftieth Annual Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, That we hereby declare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-therefore-be-it-resolved-by-the-fiftieth-annual-convention-of-the/)

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

> [The Germans argue - and I can fully understand them - that the euro countries must surrender their sovereignty, because that is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dallara/the-germans-argue-and-i-can-fully-understand-them-that-the-euro/)

[Charles Dallara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dallara/)

> [Quite generally, international affairs have more than a slight resemblance to the Mafia. The Godfather does not take it lightly when he is crossed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/quite-generally-international-affairs-have-more-than-a-slight/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Peace in international affairs: a period of cheating between periods of fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/peace-in-international-affairs-a-period-of-cheating-between-periods/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/briefly-stated-the-gell-mann-amnesia-effect-is-as-follows-you-open/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

> [Iranians embraced my approach to domestic and international affairs because they saw it as long overdue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-rouhani/iranians-embraced-my-approach-to-domestic-and-international-affairs/)

[Hassan Rouhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-rouhani/)

> [Science is the search for the truth--it is not a game in which one tries to beat his opponent, to do harm to others.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/science-is-the-search-for-the-truth-it-is-not-a-game-in-which-one/)

[Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/)

> [The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American's hatred for a fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-americans-are-poor-haters-in-international-affairs-because-of/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Bill Clinton is a man who thinks international affairs means dating a girl from out of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/bill-clinton-is-a-man-who-thinks-international-affairs-means-dating-a/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [I'm grateful that the FTC is viewed as a leader internationally and all credit goes to our terrific staff at the office of international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-khan/i-m-grateful-that-the-ftc-is-viewed-as-a-leader-internationally-and/)

[Lina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-khan/)

> [The Russian people, at least the ones I know, have pride in being a Russian. And, therefore, they want to be taken seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-russian-people-at-least-the-ones-i-know-have-pride-in-being-a/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/international-affairs-is-very-much-run-like-the-mafia-the-godfather/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story-and then turn the page to national or international affairs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/in-any-case-you-read-with-exasperation-or-amusement-the-multiple/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

> [There are nearly 200 countries and a population of over 6 billion in today's world. International affairs should be addressed by all countries through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-peng/there-are-nearly-200-countries-and-a-population-of-over-6-billion-in/)

[Li Peng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-peng/)

## 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 Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

[Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/)

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on, another more serious game is also being played. It is governed by two axioms. One is that there can be no peace without a general surrender of sovereignty: the other is that no country capable of defending its sovereignty ever surrenders it. If one keeps these axioms in mind one can generally see the relevant facts in international affairs through the smoke-screen with which the newspapers surround them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Orwell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-necks-goes-on-another-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-necks-goes-on-another-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/george-orwell-57_affair_while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-n_2363053.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“While the game of deadlocks and bottle-necks goes on, another more serious game is also being played. It is…” — 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": "While the game of deadlocks and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-necks-goes-on-another-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/while-the-game-of-deadlocks-and-bottle-necks-goes-on-another-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
