From revolutionary comrade to ruthless dictator, Napoleon the pig charts Animal Farm‘s descent into tyranny.
Representing Joseph Stalin in George Orwell’s sharp allegory, Napoleon embodies the corrupting influence of absolute power. His journey from co-leader to the farm’s sole tyrant reveals a blueprint of manipulation, brutal force, and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals.
We’ve collected 24 essential quotes with page numbers—4 direct quotes and 20 about Napoleon, crucial descriptions of his actions, and relevant reactions from others.
Organized by his methods, these lines expose Orwell’s critique of totalitarianism through the mechanisms of fear, propaganda, and violence.
Heads up! Page numbers reference the Signet edition noted below.
Napoleon on Seizing & Consolidating Power
Napoleon’s ascent relies on strategic action, eliminating opposition, and centralizing control. He quickly moves from subtle diversions to the overt use of force and the dismantling of democratic structures.
“Never mind the milk, comrades!” cried Napoleon, placing himself in front of the buckets. “That will be attended to. The harvest is more important. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. I shall follow in a few minutes. Forward, comrades! The hay is waiting.”
(Speaker: Napoleon, Chapter 2, Page 26)
This early command shows Napoleon’s cunning; he diverts attention while subtly securing resources (milk) for the pigs, establishing a pattern of prioritizing the elite’s needs. See Snowball’s contrasting approach: read quotes from the idealist Snowball.
“As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their education… kept them in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon and the puppies, Chapter 3, Pages 34-35)
This calculated act reveals Napoleon’s long-term strategy: isolating the puppies allows him to create a loyal enforcement body indoctrinated from youth, essential for his later power seizure.
“Only Napoleon held aloof. He had declared himself against the windmill from the start… suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans, and walked out without uttering a word.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon, Chapter 5, Pages 49-50)
This crude contempt for Snowball’s intellectual work underscores Napoleon’s disdain for his rival and foreshadows his reliance on primal dominance over progress.
“Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food production, and that if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon, Chapter 5, Page 50)
Napoleon simplifies the complex windmill debate into a fear-based dichotomy (windmill vs. food), appealing to basic needs to undermine Snowball’s progressive vision. Explore Benjamin’s cynical view: discover Benjamin’s skeptical perspective.
“At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball…”
(Speaker: Narrator, Chapter 5, Pages 52-53)
The sudden unleashing of the dogs marks the violent transition from political debate to brute force, solidifying Napoleon’s control through terror.
“He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning Meetings would come to an end… all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon, Chapter 5, Page 54)
By abolishing the Meetings, Napoleon eliminates the last vestige of animal democracy, centralizing all power and decision-making within his pig oligarchy.
“Frequently he did not even appear on Sunday mornings, but issued his orders through one of the other pigs, usually Squealer.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon, Chapter 7, Page 76)
Napoleon’s increasing physical distance reinforces his elevated status and reliance on intermediaries to communicate his decrees, maintaining an aura of untouchable power.
“And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet…”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon, Chapter 7, Page 84)
The purges, carried out under Napoleon’s authority, demonstrate his ruthless elimination of opposition and use of terror to solidify absolute control.
“Napoleon was now never spoken of simply as “Napoleon.” He was always referred to in formal style as “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon,” and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind…”
(Speaker: Narrator, Chapter 8, Page 93)
The enforced use of inflated titles signifies the deliberate construction of a personality cult, aiming to make Napoleon appear infallible and beyond critique.
“It had become usual to give Napoleon the Credit for every Successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune…”
(Speaker: Narrator, Chapter 8, Page 93)
This state-sponsored narrative ensures all positive outcomes are attributed solely to Napoleon, bolstering his manufactured image as the source of all progress.
“Friend of fatherless! Fountain of happiness! Lord of the swill-bucket!… Comrade Napoleon!”
(Poem by Minimus, Chapter 8, Pages 94-95)
State-sanctioned art becomes a propaganda tool, generating excessive, insincere praise for the leader and replacing genuine emotion with prescribed adulation.
“About this time, too, it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path, the other animal must stand aside: and also that all pigs… were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons…”
(Speaker: Narrator, Chapter 9, Page 114)
These new rules create tangible symbols of the pigs’ supremacy, formalizing the hierarchical class structure Napoleon has established.
“Between pigs and human beings there was not and there need not be any clash of interest whatever.”
(Speaker: Napoleon, Chapter 10, Page 138)
Napoleon openly repudiates the revolution’s foundational principle of animal solidarity against Man, aligning entirely with the human oppressors.
“Gentlemen,” concluded Napoleon, “I will give you the same toast as before, but in a different form… Gentlemen, here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Manor Farm!”
(Speaker: Napoleon, Chapter 10, Page 139)
Renaming the farm signifies Napoleon’s complete erasure of the revolution’s identity and his open embrace of the previous system of ownership and control.
Through force, strategic isolation, dismantling democracy, and cultivating a cult of personality, Napoleon cements his unchallenged authority over Animal Farm.
Napoleon’s Use of Propaganda & Scapegoating
Napoleon masterfully directs the farm’s propaganda, primarily through Squealer, using scapegoating, fear, and the manipulation of loyalty to maintain control and justify his actions.
“Comrades,” he said quietly, “do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!” he suddenly roared… “here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball.”
(Speaker: Napoleon, Chapter 6, Pages 69-70)
Napoleon immediately weaponizes the windmill disaster, identifying Snowball as the scapegoat to divert blame, create unifying fear, and authorize punishment.
“No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal… But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”
(Speaker: Squealer about Napoleon, Chapter 5, Page 55)
This propaganda line, delivered by Squealer, portrays Napoleon’s authoritarianism as a reluctant necessity for the animals’ good, masking his ambition.
“I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure!…”
(Speaker: Squealer about Napoleon, Chapter 5, Page 55)
Leadership is framed as a heavy burden selflessly borne by Napoleon, a narrative constructed to elicit gratitude rather than scrutiny. See Squealer’s methods: analyze Squealer’s key quotes.
“Napoleon is always right.”
(Speaker: Boxer’s maxim), Chapter 5, Page 56)
Boxer’s maxim reflects the success of the propaganda directed by Napoleon in cultivating unquestioning loyalty among the working animals. Discover Boxer’s tragedy: read key Boxer quotes.
“This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.”
(Speaker: Narrator about Napoleon’s decree, Chapter 6, Page 59)
This decree exemplifies Napoleon’s manipulative use of language, creating an illusion of choice (“voluntary”) while ensuring compliance through economic threat.
“Ah, that is different!” said Boxer. “If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.”
(Speaker: Boxer), Chapter 7, Page 82)
Boxer’s unwavering adherence to his maxim, even when faced with clear contradictions engineered by Napoleon’s regime, shows the profound power of sustained propaganda.
Napoleon skillfully directs the propaganda that secures his rule by controlling the narrative, creating scapegoats, leveraging fear, and exploiting loyalty.
Napoleon’s Betrayal of Ideals & Final Transformation
Napoleon’s actions demonstrate the complete abandonment of Animalism’s founding principles. His regime increasingly mirrors the human system it replaced, culminating in the pigs becoming indistinguishable from their former oppressors.
“The Seven Commandments: 1… 7. All animals are equal.”
(Established by The Pigs based on Old Major, Chapter 2, Pages 24-25)
The original commandments, particularly the seventh, are the foundational ideal of equality that Napoleon’s actions systematically betray.
“The truest happiness, he said, lay in working hard and living frugally.”
(Speaker: Narrator quoting Napoleon’s ideology, Chapter 10, Page 129)
This final doctrine imposed by Napoleon promotes austerity for the workers, directly contradicting Old Major’s vision and justifying the pigs’ luxury.
“All Animals Are Equal. But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others.”
(Final Commandment painted by Pigs), Chapter 10, Page 134)
This infamous revision uses paradoxical language to blatantly codify the inequality established under Napoleon’s rule, marking the ultimate corruption of the revolution’s core ideal.
“Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike… The creatures outside looked from pig to man… but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
(Speaker: Narrator, Chapter 10, Page 141)
The final, unforgettable image confirms the total corruption: Napoleon has led the pigs to fully embody the appearance and behavior of their former human oppressors.
Napoleon’s rule culminates in the complete inversion of the revolution’s principles, revealing the corrupting nature of unchecked power.
Conclusion: The Face of Tyranny
These 24 quotes illuminate Napoleon’s chilling evolution from revolutionary figure to archetypal dictator in Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Representing Stalin, Napoleon is a timeless warning about how easily the corrupting influence of absolute power can subvert the ideals of equality and freedom.
Through his calculated manipulation, strategic use of terror, control of information via propaganda, and systematic betrayal of Animalism’s core tenets, Napoleon becomes indistinguishable from the human tyrants the animals initially overthrew.
His character is a potent warning: power corrupts, and without vigilance, accountability, and the preservation of truth, even the noblest ideals can be twisted to serve the ambitions of the few at the expense of the many. His final indistinguishability from the humans remains a powerful indictment relevant far beyond its original historical context.
Explore All Animal Farm Analysis
A Note on Page Numbers & Edition:
Like Napoleon ensuring only his version of history prevails, page numbers for George Orwell’s Animal Farm can shift and change between editions! These 23 page numbers reference the widely used Signet 50th Anniversary paperback edition (April 6, 2004), ISBN-13: 978-0451526342. Always double-check against your specific copy when citing for academic work—ensure your evidence is as undeniable as Napoleon’s grip on the farm.
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the AAM framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.