George Orwell's six rules for honest writing

George Orwell's 1946 essay 'Politics and the English Language' outlined six rules for clear, honest writing, aimed at resisting rhetorical decay in political language but applicable to all prose. The rules are: never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech you are used to seeing; never use a long word where a short one will do; if it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out; never use the passive where you can use the active; never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent; and break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. Orwell argued that vague language in government reports, press statements, and political speeches deliberately obscures actions and dulls moral response, citing the transformation of 'we killed civilians' into 'collateral damage.' The rules prioritize clarity, originality, and responsibility over ego or convention.