Animal Farm: Napoleon Quotes Quotes

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"Napoleon was a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way."

These lines from Chapter 2 offer the reader their first impression of one of the book’s most important characters. Napoleon at the outset is made to appear overpowering; he is described as “fierce-looking” and unique among the other pigs, as “the only Berkshire on the farm.” The fact that he is also described as getting his way foreshadows his influence on the farm and the way he will proceed to accrue more and more power as the novella progresses. Although he is a parallel for Stalin and his name alludes to the French general Napoleon Bonaparte, his association with Englishness is made apparent by his being the only Berkshire, a boar that originated in the English county from which it gets its name, suggesting the corruption of Stalinism is not unique to any one place and that England is not immune.

“It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, ‘Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days’; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, ‘Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!’”

By Chapter 7, a cult of personality begins to develop around Napoleon, increasing his similarity to Stalin. His popularity among the farm is unquestionable, his power solidified, and his position as the leader firmly established. He is not opposed to taking credit for any success that occurs on the farm, yet when something goes wrong, Napoleon does not shy away from blaming others, as seen with the failure of the windmill. For Napoleon, his image is the key to maintaining power; he frequently grants himself titles and happily accepts the titles other animals give him. His influence over the farm takes on almost mythical proportions, as the hens attribute their egg production to Napoleon and the cows insist that he is responsible for making the water taste better.

“Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to make use of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression.”

In Chapter 7, the animals face considerable hardships, from being overworked to being underfed and having to suffer the difficult winter conditions. This quote highlights Napoleon’s cunning and his acknowledgement that information is power. Not only does Napoleon control how the farm functions, he also controls everyone’s perception of it. By manipulating the truth and the spread of misinformation through Mr. Whymper, Napoleon paints a picture of Animal Farm as thriving, a fiction clearly at odds with reality.

“Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims, ‘I will work harder’ and ‘Comrade Napoleon is always right’—maxims, he said, which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.”

In Chapter 9, during his eulogy for Boxer, Napoleon takes advantage of the horse's death for his own political machinations. Where Boxer garnered respect for his hard work and loyalty to the farm, Napoleon’s respect comes as a result of his absolute power and the fear he has instilled, especially after the execution of the animals who were in league with Snowball. By reminding the animals of the beloved Boxer’s two favorite maxims, he reinforces his power. Because these are Boxer's words and not his own, Napoleon’s reminder comes off as less a warning than a suggestion, thus hiding the truly manipulative and calculating message behind the intent of his speech—to persuade the other animals to follow him as loyally, and as blindly, as Boxer once did.

“‘Gentlemen,’ concluded Napoleon, ‘I will give you the same toast as before, but in a different form. Fill your glasses to the brim. Gentlemen, here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Manor Farm!’”

With these words from Chapter 10, Napoleon’s final perversion of the ideas of Animalism are put on full display. Throughout the novella, Napoleon is seen distorting the commandments of Animalism to suit his own needs, and with each revision straying farther and farther away from Old Major’s dream of an animal utopia built on equality and freedom. In this last betrayal, Napoleon positions himself as being in league with humans, and reverts Animal Farm back to Manor Farm—that is, he returns the farm to the very conditions they originally fought against. It is clear that Napoleon is a greedy tyrant, one who, in the end, is not that different from Mr. Jones.

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