one fact about it—quite widely known, I believe—is so obscene as to be almost unprintable." - Meaning and context.">
"As I Please" column in The Tribune (15 November 1946)http://alexpeak.com/twr/oocp/

It is not a good symptom that hanging should still be the accepted form of capital punishment in this country.  Hanging is a barbarous, inefficient way of killing anybody, and at least one fact about it—quite widely known, I believe—is so obscene as to be almost unprintable.

— George Orwell

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It is not a good symptom that hanging should still be the accepted form of capital punishment in this country.  Hanging is a barbarous, inefficient way of killing anybody, and at least one fact about it—quite widely known, I believe—is so obscene as to be almost unprintable." in the context of ""As I Please" column in The Tribune (15 November 1946)http://alexpeak.com/twr/oocp/" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "George Orwell" (Quotes, As I Please (1943–1947)) 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.