In Aldous Huxley’s iconic dystopian novel, “Brave New World,” Mustapha Mond is a central character and one of the World Controllers who govern the futuristic society. As a figure of authority, his words carry great weight and offer insights into the themes and ideas explored in the book. From discussions about individuality to the dangers of knowledge and freedom, Mustapha Mond’s quotes provide readers with a deeper understanding of the world depicted in “Brave New World.”
Read these Mustapha Mond quotes
“The greater a man’s talents, the greater his power to lead astray. It is better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted.”
“The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get. They’re well off; they’re safe; they’re never ill; they’re not afraid of death; they’re blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they’re plagued with no mothers or fathers; they’ve got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they’re so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave.”
“But I like the inconveniences.”
“They’re so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there’s soma.”
“Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”
“You’ve got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art.”
“All the same, it’s natural to believe in God when you’re alone—quite alone, in the night, thinking about death.”
“People believe in God because they’ve been conditioned to believe.”
“Don’t you realize that there are conditions under which such a drug can be the most deadly of poisons?”
“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.”
“I claim them all. I am a libertarian.”
“We are not our own any more than what we possess is our own. We did not make ourselves, we cannot be supreme over ourselves. We are not our own masters.”
“Civilization has absolutely no need of nobility or heroism. These things are symptoms of political inefficiency. In a properly organized society like ours, nobody has any opportunities for being noble or heroic.”
“Don’t imagine you’ll be able to read it uninterrupted. If you don’t like it, take the four hundred soma tablets I’ve given you and turn on the Delta-Waves. They’ll sweep you off your feet and you won’t remember a thing.”
“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.”
“All the same, they’re full of ideas—ideas that won’t work. Never put off till tomorrow the fun you can have today.”
“The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get.”
“The optimum population is modeled on the iceberg—eight-ninths below the water line, one-ninth above.”
“We prefer to do things comfortably.”
“You can’t have a lasting civilization without plenty of pleasant vices.”
“The greater a man’s talents, the greater his power to lead astray.”
“The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get.”
These Mustapha Mond quotes encapsulate the themes of control, happiness, and the suppression of individuality present in “Brave New World.” They offer readers a glimpse into the mind of a character who advocates for stability and conformity, rather than the pursuit of knowledge and personal freedom. Mustapha Mond’s words remind us of the dangers of sacrificing our individuality for the sake of societal harmony and raise important questions about the trade-offs we make in the pursuit of happiness.
