There was nothing left in them except sorrow for what they had done, and love of Big Brother. It was touching to see how they loved him. They begged to be shot quickly, so that they could die while their minds were still clean.

There was nothing left in them except sorrow for what they had done, and love of Big Brother. It was touching to see how they loved him. They begged to be shot quickly, so that they could die while their minds were still clean.

– George Orwell

1984. Part 3, Chapter 2. O’Brien to Winston, describing the breaking down of three ‘traitors’.

1984 Quotes