George Orwell, in a review of The Road to Serfdom (1944)

It cannot be said too often — at any rate, it is not being said nearly often enough — that collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the Spanish Inquisitors never dreamt of.

— George Orwell on Collectivism

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It cannot be said too often — at any rate, it is not being said nearly often enough — that collectivism is not inherently democratic, but, on the contrary, gives to a tyrannical minority such powers as the Spanish Inquisitors never dreamt of." in the context of "George Orwell, in a review of The Road to Serfdom (1944)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Collectivism" (Quotes: Alphabetized by author ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 28, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
George Orwell

About George Orwell

George Orwell (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was the pen name of British novelist, essayist, and journalist Eric Arthur Blair, whose work is characterised by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and strong support of democratic socialism.