Brave New World Quotations

Brave New World is a dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley. The title derives from a line spoken by "Miranda" in The Tempest by William Shakespeare, which is quoted by "The Savage" in the novel: "O brave new world, That has such people in't!"

Quotes

Bokanovsky's process is one of the major instruments of social stability!
- A reference to the importance that the World State attaches to human cloning.

They say somebody made a mistake when he was still in the bottle--thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood-surrogate.
- Rumor as explained by Fanny Crowne as to why Alpha-Plus Bernard Marx looked and acted odd.

One hundred repetitions three nights a week for four years, thought Bernard Marx, who was a specialist on hypnopædia. Sixty-two thousand four hundred repetitions make one truth. Idiots!
- Bernard Marx's comments on the preceding slogan and an analysis on the effects of state-sponsored sleep teaching.

Community, Identity, Stability.
- The motto of the World State.

No social stability without individual stability.
- Refers to mass use of soma to create "stable" citizens who conform to societal norms.

Christianity without tears — that's what soma is.
- Mustapha Mond's summarisation of the hypnotic, revered drug soma.

All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects.
- Another summarisation of the drug soma.

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.
- John's interpretation of social norms being restrictive, denying him the opportunity to experience the human condition.

In fact, you are claiming the right to be unhappy.
- Mustapha Mond's response to the previous quote.

Bottle of mine, it's you I've always wanted!
Bottle of mine, why was I ever decanted?
Skies are blue inside of you
The weather's always fine;
For
There ain't no Bottle in all the world
Like that dear little Bottle of mine.
- Lyrics of a popular computer-generated song referring to how babies are artifically gestated.

Ford's in his flivver, all's well with the world.

One of the principal functions of a friend is to suffer (in a milder and symbolic form) the punishments that we should like, but are unable to inflict upon our enemies.

I'd rather be myself. Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly.
- Bernard Marx

Hug me till you drug me, honey;
Kiss me till I'm in a coma:
Hug me, honey, snuggly bunny;
Love's as good as soma.

"O brave new world," he repeated. "O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once."
- John quotes Shakespeare's The Tempest when hearing of the technologies and customs of civilization. a more extensive quotation reads "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!"

Feel how the Greater Being comes!
Rejoice and, in rejoicing die!
Melt in the music of the drums!
For I am you and you are I

Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release.

True happiness must seem rather squalid compared to the overcompensations of misery.

As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport.
- This is actually a quotation of William Shakespeare from King Lear.

(CH₃)C₆H₂(NO₂)₃ + Hg(CNO)₂ = well, what? An enormous hole in the ground, a pile of masonry, some bits of flesh and mucus, a foot, with the boot still on it, flying through the air and landing, flop, in the middle of the geraniums–the scarlet ones; such a splendid show that summer!

"The multitudinous seas incarnadine."
- The Savage uses a direct quote from Shakespeare's "MacBeth" (Act II, scene ii). MacBeth is noting that there is enough of Duncan's blood on his hands to turn the seas red.

"Eternity was in our lips and eyes"
- John quotes Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra"

Hypnopædia

Hypnopædia is used throughout the novel to condition children into certain societal standards, predetermined for their apparent benefit.

A gramme is better than a damn.
- Slogan encouraging use of the fictional narcotic soma.

A gramme in time saves nine.
- Slogans encouraging use of soma.

One cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments.
- Slogan encouraging people not to dwell on gloomy thoughts, but to obliterate them with the fictional narcotic, soma.

When the individual feels, the community reels
- A slogan discouraging individualism in favor of the community as a whole.

Every one belongs to every one else.
- Government slogans encouraging sociability and sexual promiscuity.

Everybody's happy nowadays.

Every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn't do without Epsilons.

Progress is lovely.

Ending is better than mending.
- A government slogan encouraging people to throw away old possessions and buy new ones, thus theoretically keeping the global economy strong.

...all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides, they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta. Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm really awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They...
- A Hypnopædic message played to Beta children as a conditioning tool.

Cleanliness is next to fordliness.
- The second hypnopædic lesson in elementary hygiene.

Civilization is sterilization.

Streptocock-Gee to Banbury-T, to see a fine bathroom and W.C.

A, B, C, Vitamin D,
The fat's in the liver and the cod's in the sea.

A doctor a day keeps the jim-jams away. (Related to "an apple a day keeps the doctor away")
- A Hypnopædic message on the necessity of doctoral visits.

I do love new Clothes.
- A message promoting consumerism.

The more stitches, the less riches.
- A message promoting consumerism.

Quoternity