“Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.”
- 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.
Quote
“Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.”
Explanation
In this quote, George Orwell observes how children, as they grow older, instinctively begin to withhold their true feelings from adults. Orwell suggests that this behavior, which emerges around the age of seven or eight, marks a shift in a child’s awareness of the complexities of adult relationships and societal expectations. As children mature, they become more attuned to the fact that emotional honesty may not always be welcomed or understood by adults. This instinctive change reflects a growing recognition of the gap between the world of childhood innocence and the more pragmatic, sometimes cynical world of adults, where emotions and vulnerabilities may be scrutinized or dismissed.
Orwell’s reflections here resonate with his broader concerns about social conditioning and the ways in which individuals are shaped by the expectations and pressures of society. He often wrote about how authority figures—whether in the form of government, family, or school—impose their own values, often stifling natural emotional expression. This idea appears in his works like 1984, where the protagonist, Winston Smith, struggles to reconcile his inner feelings with the demands of a totalitarian state that forces conformity and suppresses emotional truth. Orwell understood how, from a young age, individuals are taught to mask or suppress their true selves in order to fit into a world that doesn’t always value authenticity.
In contemporary society, this instinct to hide one’s true feelings from adults continues to be relevant. Children, especially as they enter adolescence, often develop a sense of privacy and self-protection from the pressures of adult judgment. This phenomenon can be seen in the way mental health is treated, as many young people may feel reluctant to express their struggles due to fear of stigma or dismissal by adults. Orwell’s quote highlights how emotional honesty often becomes conditioned out of us as we grow, raising important questions about how society can foster spaces where individuals—especially children and young adults—feel safe to express their true feelings without fear of judgment or repercussion.
