Political Writing Quotes:

In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.

- George Orwell

source: George Orwell (1956). “The Orwell Reader: Fiction, Essays, and Reportage”, New York : Harcourt, Brace

topic: Time, Writing, Political Language, Speech And Writing, Political Speeches

One difference with the political writings, whether about feminism or class, is that the intent is to change how people think of a certain political reality; whereas with cultural criticism, the goal is to illuminate something that is already there.

- Bell Hooks

source: "How Do You Practice Intersectionalism? An Interview with bell hooks". Interview with Randy Lowens, nefac.net. March 15, 2012.

topic: Writing, Thinking, Reality, Political Writing

[On her political writings:] It is, I confess, very possible that these my Labours may only be destined to line Trunks, or preserve roast Meat from too fierce a Fire; yet in that Shape I shall be useful to my Country.

- Mary Wortley Montagu

topic: Country, Writing, Fire, Political Writing

Virtue is the habit of acting according to wisdom. GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ, "Felicity", Leibniz: Political Writings Virtue is harder to be got than knowledge of the world; and, if lost in a young man, is seldom recovered. JOHN LOCKE, Some Thoughts Concerning Education However wicked men may be, they do not dare openly to appear the enemies of virtue, and when they desire to persecute her they either pretend to believe her false or attribute crimes to her.

- Francois de La Rochefoucauld

source: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1988). “Leibniz: Political Writings”, p.31, Cambridge University Press

topic: Believe, Writing, Men, Wicked Man, Political Writing

I love Mikhail Bulgakov. He is very original and takes the story to unexpected places. I didn't realise political writing could be so funny.

- Denise Mina

topic: Writing, Political, Stories, Political Writing, Unexpected Places

I read all the time so it's difficult to say who my all-time favourites are. One is George Orwell, because he makes political writing so simple a child could understand it.

- Melvin Burgess

topic: Children, Writing, Simple, Political Writing

I generalized rashly: That is what kills political writing, this absurd pretence that you are delivering a great utterance. You never do. You are just a puzzled man making notes about what you think. You are not building the Pantheon, then why act like a graven image? You are drawing sketches in the sand which the sea will wash away.

- Walter Lippmann

source: Walter Lippmann “Force and Ideas: The Early Writings”, Transaction Publishers

topic: Writing, Men, Thinking, Pantheon, Puzzled

The assertion of failure coming from such persons does not mean that Mr. Mill failed to promote the practical success of those objects the advocacy of which forms the chief feature of his political writings.

- Millicent Fawcett

topic: Mean, Writing, Political, Advocacy, Political Writing

Political writing in our time consists almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together like the pieces of a child's Meccano set. It is the unavoidable result of self-censorship. To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.

- George Orwell

topic: Children, Writing, Thinking, Political Writing, Self Censorship

Writing about a war will always be political writing, no matter what amount of hermetical hide-and-seek or aesthetical operations are involved.

- Sasa Stanisic

topic: War, Writing, Political, Political Writing