Important Brave New World Quotes, published in 1932 by Aldous Huxley, is a seminal dystopian novel that envisions a futuristic World State where citizens are genetically engineered, socially indoctrinated, and pacified by a drug called Soma. Set in a seemingly perfect society, the novel explores themes of freedom, individuality, and the dehumanizing effects of technological and social control. Translated into dozens of languages and selling millions of copies, it remains a cornerstone of 20th-century literature. These 15 quotes—sourced directly from the novel—capture its most profound insights into conformity, happiness, and the loss of humanity, reflecting Huxley’s chilling vision.
15 Important Brave New World Quotes
- “Community, Identity, Stability.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 3)
- “And that, is the secret of happiness and virtue—liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 16)
- “A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 17)
- “Every one belongs to every one else.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 40)
- “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 240)
- “All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 54, on Soma)
- “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 220)
- “Happiness is never grand.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 221)
- “Words can be like X-rays, if you use them properly—they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 70)
- “One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 236)
- “If one’s different, one’s bound to be lonely.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 137)
- “The Savage nodded, frowning. ‘You got rid of them. Yes, that’s just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it.’” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 238)
- “O brave new world that has such people in’t.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 139, quoting Shakespeare’s The Tempest)
- “When the individual feels, the community reels.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 94)
- “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery.” (Brave New World, 1932, p. 220)
These Brave New World quotes distill Aldous Huxley’s incisive critique of a world that trades freedom for comfort, urging us to question conformity and reclaim our humanity. Which quote challenges you most? Share it in the comments and keep Huxley’s cautionary vision alive!
Emma Thompson
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