“All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”
- June 25, 1903 – January 21, 1950
- Born in India during the British colonial period
- Author, journalist
- Through his representative works “1984” and “Animal Farm,” he presented sharp criticism of totalitarianism and the abuse of power, greatly influencing contemporary literature and thought.
table of contents
Quote
“All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”
Explanation
In this quote, George Orwell emphasizes the disconnection between those who promote war and the reality of those who actually have to fight it. He argues that the most extreme and hateful war propaganda typically comes from individuals who are far removed from the suffering and danger of the battlefield. These individuals—often political leaders, media figures, or armchair nationalists—use rhetoric and dehumanizing narratives to incite hatred and rally support for war, but they are not the ones who experience the brutality and sacrifice that war entails. Orwell highlights the hypocrisy in how war is often glorified or justified by those who have little to lose, while those who fight in it face the grim realities of death and destruction.
Orwell’s own experience as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War deeply influenced his view on the relationship between war and propaganda. Having witnessed firsthand the brutal effects of war, he was acutely aware of the ways in which political leaders and others who were not directly involved in fighting could manipulate the narrative, inflating the glory or necessity of war while downplaying or completely ignoring its human cost. His writings often critique how governments, especially totalitarian regimes, use propaganda to rally the masses into supporting wars for ideological or political reasons. Orwell’s perspective challenges the often romanticized portrayal of war, emphasizing that those who suffer the most are typically not the ones who are calling for or supporting the conflict.
This observation remains highly relevant today, as the media, politicians, and other influential figures frequently use nationalism and fear-mongering to justify military actions, while often being far removed from the actual consequences of warfare. Whether in the context of the Iraq War, the War on Terror, or modern military interventions, the voices advocating for war are often those who do not have to live with its aftermath. Orwell’s quote serves as a warning about the dangers of war rhetoric, urging us to be critical of those who push for conflict without fully understanding or experiencing its true cost.
