About this quote

Power can write rules that sound fair while keeping perks for a few. Who benefits when the rules bend? That gap between stated rules and actual outcomes destroys trust and lets bad behavior continue. Notice the pattern, document it, and pressure decision-makers to apply the same standards to everyone.

When to use it

• At the board meeting, after the CEO's expensive mistake is excused while a junior manager is blamed, you mutter, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
• At a family dinner when one child is praised for breaking house rules while another is punished, you say the line to point out the obvious favoritism.
• After a professor gives a famous student a pass on a late paper while failing others for the same offense, you recall the quote and bring up the unequal treatment in the class forum.
• In the locker room when the star player avoids discipline for a dangerous tackle that landed a bench player with a suspension, someone jokes the quote and the mood turns serious.