Ever since civilization began, the authorities of most States have persecuted the best men among their subjects. We are all shocked by the treatment of Socrates and Christ, but most people do not realize that such has been the fate of a large proportion of the men subsequently regarded as unusually admirable. ... In most countries at most times, whatever subsequently came to be thought best was viewed with horror at the time by those who wielded authority. What is new in our time is the increased power of the authorities to enforce their prejudices.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Symptoms of Orwell's 1984，(1954)
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