# Quote — George Orwell, Animal Farm

> Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were NOT in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be.

- Author: [George Orwell](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell.md)
- Book: [Animal Farm](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell/animal-farm.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Animal_Farm#Chapter_9) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [power](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/power.md), [hypocrisy](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/hypocrisy.md), [lies](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/lies.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell/animal-farm/meanwhile-life-was

## More from this book

> He had only one criticism, he said, to make of Mr. Pilkington's excellent and neighbourly speech. Mr. Pilkington had referred throughout to "Animal Farm." He could not of course know—for he, Napoleon, was only now for the first time announcing it—that the name "Animal Farm" had been abolished. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"—which, he believed, was its correct and original name.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell/animal-farm/he-had-only.md)

Topics: [politics](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/politics.md), [power](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/power.md)

> Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer — except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs. Perhaps this was partly because there were so many pigs and so many dogs. It was not that these creatures did not work, after their fashion. There was, as Squealer was never tired of explaining, endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Much of this work was of a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell/animal-farm/somehow-it-seemed.md)

Topics: [politics](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/politics.md), [power](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/power.md)

> "What is that gun firing for?" said Boxer.
>
> "To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer.
>
> "What victory?" said Boxer. His knees were bleeding, he had lost a shoe and split his hoof, and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg.
>
> "What victory, comrade? Have we not driven the enemy off our soil—the sacred soil of Animal Farm?"
>
> "But they have destroyed the windmill. And we had worked on it for two years!"
>
> "What matter? We will build another windmill. We will build six windmills if we feel like it. You do not appreciate, comrade, the mighty thing that we have done. The enemy was in occupation of this very ground that we stand upon. And now—thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon—we have won every inch of it back again!"
>
> "Then we have won back what we had before," said Boxer.
>
> "That is our victory," said Squealer.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/george-orwell/animal-farm/what-is-that.md)

Topics: [power](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/power.md), [lies](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/lies.md), [success and failure](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/success-and-failure.md)