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Squealer
A revered old boar who, at the beginning of the novel, gathers the animals together to speak to them about what’s wrong with their world. He proposes that humanity is their one true enemy, as people profit off of what animals produce without producing anything themselves—and specifically in the case of Mr. Jones, humans are cruel, unfeeling, and abuse those below them. Old Major’s speech forms the basis for Animalism, a theory that Napoleon and Snowball develop in the three months after Old Major’s death. Old Major dies a few months before the revolution and so never gets to see his ideas play out in the real world, but Napoleon does eventually disinter Old Major’s head so that the other animals can walk past it reverently. Old Major symbolizes both Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, the fathers of Communism.
Old Major Quotes in Animal Farm
The Animal Farm quotes below are all either spoken by Old Major or refer to Old Major. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings.”
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“Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.”
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“Remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.”
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Chapter 2
Quotes
THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
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Chapter 3
Quotes
Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations, the quarreling and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days had almost disappeared.
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Get the entire Animal Farm LitChart as a printable PDF.
Old Major Quotes in Animal Farm
The Animal Farm quotes below are all either spoken by Old Major or refer to Old Major. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.”
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.”
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Chapter 2
Quotes
THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
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Chapter 3
Quotes
Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations, the quarreling and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days had almost disappeared.
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