"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"
- George Orwell
About this Quote
This quote by George Orwell speaks to the power of language and how it can be utilized to deceive. He suggests that when somebody is not being sincere or sincere, they will often utilize long words and complicated phrases to hide their real intents. This resembles a cuttlefish squirting out ink to conceal from predators. Orwell is warning us to be knowledgeable about this kind of language and to be wary of those who use it. He is suggesting that clear and sincere language is the best method to communicate and that insincerity should be prevented. By understanding this, we can better understand the true objectives of those around us.
"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization"
"Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear so, and therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped myself in mystery, devoting my time to fasting and prayer"