Orwell, George -- Essay (1941-02-19), “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius,” Part 1 “England Your England,” sec. 1, The Searchlight Books [ed. Fyvel and Orwell]

Dave — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:15:07 +0000

As I write, highly civilised human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me.
They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are “only doing their duty”, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any the worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1941-02-19), “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius,” Part 1 “England Your England,” sec. 1, The Searchlight Books [ed. Fyvel and Orwell]

Part of Part 1, "England Your England" with the title "The Ruling Class" was previously published in Horizon (1940-12).

Bolt, Robert -- Doctor Zhivago, Part 1, film (1965)

Dave — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 20:19:50 +0000

YEVGRAF: Happy men don’t volunteer. They wait their turn, and thank God if their age or work delays it.

Robert Bolt (1924–1995) English dramatist
Doctor Zhivago, Part 1, film (1965)

On army recruitment. This line is not in the 1957 Boris Pasternak novel.

WIST Quotations

Orwell, George -- Essay (1941-02-19), “The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius,” Part 1 “England Your England,” sec. 1, The Searchlight Books [ed. Fyvel and Orwell]

Bolt, Robert -- Doctor Zhivago, Part 1, film (1965)