Brave New World Quotes

Context

This line was spoken by Helmholtz in the novel Brave New World (1932), written by Aldous Huxley.

Brave New World is a classic-yet-futuristic novel where babies are born in special hatcheries and independent thought isn't encouraged. It was a dystopian novel way before George Orwell made them cool in 1984, and definitely before Hunger Games and Divergent were on the bestseller list.

This amazing line is delivered by Helmholtz Watson, a professor at the college of Emotional Engineering. He's a smart Alpha (the highest caste in the society of Brave New World), who has a lot of sex and writes in his down time. Before he meets Bernard, who is an Alpha that is treated like an outsider, Helmholtz turns down a foursome and talks about how abstaining from sex is boosting his brain power.

He then talks about how the mindless propaganda that he writes for the World State doesn't fulfill him, and that he wants to do something more powerful and lasting with his words. So he ends up writing a poem about being alone, and helps destroy soma, the happy drug of the future. After all this, he gets exiled. Surprised?

But Helmholtz doesn't lose his resolve when he gets exiled, and sees it as a source of inspiration for his writing. If Dante wrote the whole Divine Comedy away from his beloved home in Florence, then why can't Helmholtz come up with the great poem of the future in the Falkland Islands?

Basically, writing is a superpower, especially in a universe which has banned the great works of literature. Yeah, we wouldn't want to live in the World State.

Where you've heard it

This is a quote that's well-loved by creative writing, journalism, and English professors of all stripes. Basically, anyone who will challenge you to organize your thoughts and ideas in a beautiful and intelligent way loves putting it on the top of their syllabi.

Additional Notable References:

• Here is a New York Times article talking about how much of Brave New World hasn't come true, especially in the fact that art and science are still important in 21st century society.
• Brave New World is still making waves and was the number 3 most challenged book of 2010 according to the American Library Association for "insensitivity" and its sexual content.
• In 2015, it was announced that Brave New World is going to be a show on the SyFy Channel as part of the channel's move away from spoofs like Sharknado to actual science fiction. It will be produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and hopefully will be as good as the book.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Words are powerful and important, so this is quote worth using and remembering.