"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink"
About this Quote
The cuttlefish image does the real work. It’s funny, vivid, a little ugly - and it indicts the writer’s body as well as their mind. Euphemism and “exhausted idioms” become defensive secretions, a reflex that clouds the water so no one can see what’s actually happening. Orwell’s genius is that he doesn’t accuse people of being stupid; he accuses them of protecting themselves. Long words aren’t inherently corrupt, but in his framing they’re often purchased at the price of accountability.
Context sharpens the bite. Orwell is writing in the shadow of propaganda, wartime messaging, and bureaucratic doublespeak - environments where atrocity can be laundered into “pacification” and failure can be renamed “restructuring.” The subtext is a warning: whenever public language grows foggy, don’t just blame taste. Ask what someone is trying not to say, and what they’re trying to make you accept without noticing. Clear prose, for Orwell, is democratic hygiene. Fog is a power move.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
|---|---|
| Source | George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language" (essay), Horizon, April 1946 — opening paragraph. |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Orwell, George. (2026, January 15). The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-enemy-of-clear-language-is-insincerity-35732/
Chicago Style
Orwell, George. "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-enemy-of-clear-language-is-insincerity-35732/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-great-enemy-of-clear-language-is-insincerity-35732/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
