Fahrenheit 451 quotes by Ray Bradbury is a powerful dystopian novel that explores themes of censorship, technology, knowledge, and government control. Through its vivid imagery and thought-provoking dialogue, the book delivers memorable quotes that highlight the dangers of a society that suppresses individuality and critical thinking. These quotes reflect the emotional depth of its characters—especially Montag, Mildred, and Beatty—and offer insight into a world where books are banned and conformity is enforced. Each quote serves as a warning about the consequences of losing our connection to literature, free thought, and genuine human connection.
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes
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“It was a pleasure to burn.”
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“We need not to be let alone.”
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“Books were only one type of receptacle.”
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“Are you happy?”
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“You’re not like the others.”
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“The sun burnt every day.”
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“I don’t talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things.”
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“There must be something in books.”
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“Stuff your eyes with wonder.”
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“We’ll go on the rest of the way.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes with Page Numbers
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“It was a pleasure to burn.” — p. 1
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“Are you happy?” — p. 10
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“You’re not like the others.” — p. 21
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“We need not to be let alone.” — p. 58
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“There must be something in books.” — p. 78
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“You can’t make someone listen.” — p. 81
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“I don’t talk things, sir.” — p. 27
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“We’re the Happiness Boys.” — p. 61
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“The books are to remind us.” — p. 82
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“He wore his happiness like a mask.” — p. 9
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Censorship
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“You can’t make someone listen.”
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“We must all be alike.”
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“A book is a loaded gun.”
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“Don’t give them any slippery stuff.”
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“Cram them full of noncombustible data.”
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“The public stopped reading.”
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“Burn all, burn everything.”
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“Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo.”
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“Keep people happy.”
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“If you don’t want a man unhappy… don’t give him two sides.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Technology
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“The parlor was dead and gray.”
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“That’s my family.”
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“No one has time anymore.”
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“The televisor is ‘real.’”
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“The walls were always talking.”
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“You’re nothing but a brain.”
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“We’ve started and won two atomic wars.”
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“The room was indeed empty.”
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“You can shut them up.”
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“Nobody listens anymore.”
Parlor Walls Quotes with Page Numbers
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“That’s my family.” — p. 46
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“I always like to drive fast when I feel that way.” — p. 65
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“The parlor was dead and gray.” — p. 44
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“It’s really fun. It’ll be even more fun when we can afford the fourth wall.” — p. 20
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“My ‘family’ is people.” — p. 47
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“He stood looking up at the ventilator grille.” — p. 8
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“The televisor is ‘real.’” — p. 47
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“The room was indeed empty.” — p. 44
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“Now my ‘family’ is people.” — p. 48
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“The walls were always talking.” — p. 45
Mildred Quotes
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“That’s my family.”
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“I’m tired of listening to you.”
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“Books aren’t people.”
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“Why should I read?”
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“Let me alone.”
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“I don’t know anything anymore.”
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“We’ve got to be happy.”
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“I’m going out, didn’t you hear me?”
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“You’re not well.”
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“I can’t talk to you.”
Mechanical Hound Quotes
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“It doesn’t like or dislike.”
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“It’s just a machine.”
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“It lives but doesn’t live.”
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“The Hound slept but did not sleep.”
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“It growled like a strange beast.”
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“It was suspending itself in air.”
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“The Hound’s needle flashed.”
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“The dead beast, the living beast.”
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“Its eyes all glass.”
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“It was like a nightmare.”
Describing Mildred Physically
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“Her hair burnt by chemicals.”
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“Eyes with a kind of cataract.”
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“White and unknowing face.”
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“Lips like strawberry ice cream.”
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“She was very slender.”
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“Her face was like a snow-covered island.”
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“Her body like a body in a tomb.”
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“She was like a wax doll.”
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“Blank, sleepy face.”
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“Not quite alive, not quite dead.”
More Parlor Walls Quotes
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“That’s my family.”
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“The room was indeed empty.”
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“They say things and they talk about nothing.”
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“The televisor is ‘real.’”
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“My family is people.”
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“The parlor was dead and gray.”
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“She didn’t look up from the three walls.”
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“When will you be back to work?”
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“I didn’t know it would be this bad.”
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“She was beginning to shriek now.”
Fire Symbolism
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“It was a pleasure to burn.”
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“Fire is bright and fire is clean.”
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“You never wash it off completely.”
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“Burn all, burn everything.”
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“What is fire? It’s a mystery.”
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“Fire is alive.”
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“It destroys responsibility.”
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“It’s perpetual motion.”
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“It burns out the sorrow.”
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“It’s real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Society
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“Nobody listens anymore.”
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“We’ve everything to be happy, but we aren’t.”
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“People don’t talk about anything.”
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“We’re all sheep.”
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“School is shortened, discipline relaxed.”
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“Everyone’s head-down, racing.”
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“The world rushed by like a train.”
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“We’ve started and won two atomic wars.”
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“They don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”
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“The public stopped reading of its own accord.”
Technology in Fahrenheit 451
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“The televisor is ‘real.’”
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“That’s my family.”
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“The parlor was dead and gray.”
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“You can shut them up, turn them off.”
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“TV walls are all-consuming.”
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“No front porches anymore.”
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“The Hound slept but did not sleep.”
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“She was alone and with no one and so with everyone.”
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“The room was like a stage.”
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“The mechanical Hound never fails.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Knowledge
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“There must be something in books.”
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“Books are to remind us what fools we are.”
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“We need not to be let alone.”
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“You don’t stay for nothing.”
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“Stuff your eyes with wonder.”
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“A book is a loaded gun.”
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“I want to do something big.”
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“Books make people unhappy.”
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“We have everything but the truth.”
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“I’m not thinking, I’m just doing like I’m told.”
the Mechanical Hound in Fahrenheit 451
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“It doesn’t think anything we don’t want it to think.”
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“The Hound doesn’t like me.”
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“It lives but doesn’t live.”
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“Eight legs spidered under it.”
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“It slept but did not sleep.”
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“A needle flicked out.”
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“It growled like a strange beast.”
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“It’s only copper wire, storage batteries, and electricity.”
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“The dead beast, the living beast.”
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“The Mechanical Hound never fails.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Montag
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“It was a pleasure to burn.”
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“He wore his happiness like a mask.”
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“I don’t want to burn anymore.”
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“I’m not happy.”
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“We need not to be let alone.”
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“I want to understand.”
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“I’ve been a fool all down the line.”
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“I feel I’m doing what I should’ve done a lifetime ago.”
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“I don’t talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things.”
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“We’re heading right for war again.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Beatty
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“What traitors books can be!”
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“You must understand our civilization.”
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“We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy.”
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“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door.”
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“We’re the Happiness Boys.”
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“You can’t make someone listen.”
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“Don’t give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology.”
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“We must all be alike.”
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“Burn all, burn everything.”
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“He had read enough so he had all the answers.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Government Control
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“We must all be alike.”
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“A book is a loaded gun.”
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“Burn all, burn everything.”
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“Don’t give them slippery stuff.”
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“The firemen are rarely necessary.”
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“Keep them busy with trivial things.”
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“Cram them full of noncombustible data.”
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“Government doesn’t need to ban books—people stopped reading.”
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“We’re the Happiness Boys.”
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“Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes on Why Books Are Banned
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“Books make people unhappy.”
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“Don’t give them two sides to a question.”
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“We must all be alike.”
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“Offending someone means trouble.”
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“Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo.”
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“Burn all, burn everything.”
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“Books say nothing.”
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“Authors full of evil thoughts.”
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“The public stopped reading of its own accord.”
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“Keep people from thinking.”
Fahrenheit 451 Quotes About Government Control
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“You don’t stay for nothing.”
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“Books are traitors.”
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“The most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom.”
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“They didn’t want people to feel inferior.”
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“Burn them to ashes, then burn the ashes.”
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“You can shut them up.”
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“No one listens anymore.”
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“We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy.”
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“Censorship didn’t come from the government—it came from the people.”
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“Fire is bright and fire is clean.”
Conclusion
The quotes from Fahrenheit 451 reveal the profound impact of censorship and technological domination on society and the human spirit. They encourage reflection on the importance of books, the pursuit of knowledge, and the value of free expression. Bradbury’s powerful words continue to resonate, reminding readers to question, to think, and to resist the forces that seek to silence truth. In a world increasingly shaped by distraction and control, these quotes remain a timeless call to preserve the freedom of thought and the fire of curiosity within us all.