The essence of oligarchical rule is not father-to-son inheritance, but the persistence of a certain world-view and a certain way of life, imposed by the dead upon the living. A ruling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate its successors. The Party is not concerned with perpetuating its blood but with perpetuating itself. Who wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same.
乔治·奥威尔（George Orwell），本名埃里克·亚瑟·布莱尔（Eric Arthur Blair，1903年-1950年），是英国作家、记者和社会评论家。
