In today’s post, we are sharing with you his carefully selected collection of quotes from Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” In the novel, Atwood crafts a dystopian world that feels all too familiar, echoing the fears, hopes, and resilience that lie within the heart of humanity. Through these quotes, we’re offered a glimpse into the complex tapestry of Gilead, its inhabitants, and the indomitable spirit of its protagonist, Offred.
Each quote, each line, pulls us deeper into the world of Gilead, but also mirrors our own world in ways that are uncomfortably familiar. As we navigate through these quotes, we’re compelled to reflect, to question, and to engage with the world around us in a more meaningful way.
For those of you interested in a deeper analysis of the novel, check out our posts titled “The Handmaid’s Tale Summary, Characters, and Book Club Questions” and “Handmaid’s Tale Themes.”
The Handmaid’s Tale Quotes
Here are some interesting quotes that capture the thematic essence of “The Handmaid’s Tale”:
1. “You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
2. “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
3. “Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
4. “But who can remember pain, once it’s over? All that remains of it is a shadow, not in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
5. “When we think of the past it’s the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
6. “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
6. “Knowing was a temptation. What you don’t know won’t tempt you.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
7. “The moment of betrayal is the worst, the moment when you know beyond any doubt that you’ve been betrayed: that some other human being has wished you that much evil” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
8. “All you have to do, I tell myself, is keep your mouth shut and look stupid. It shouldn’t be that hard.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
9. “It’s impossible to say a thing exactly the way it was, because of what you say can never be exact, you always have to leave something out, there are too many parts, sides, crosscurrents, nuances; too many gestures, which could mean this or that, too many shapes which can never be fully described, too many flavors, in the air or on the tongue, half-colors, too many.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
10. “You can’t help what you feel, but you can help how you behave” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
11. “Truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
12. “A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
13. “Waste not want not. I am not being wasted. Why do I want?” ― Margaret atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
14. “To want is to have a weakness.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
15. “I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
16. “As all historians know, the past is a great darkness, and filled with echoes.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
17. “Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
Final thoughts
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a narrative set in a dystopian future; a mirror reflecting the nuances of our present reality, and a cautionary tale that intertwines the threads of power, resistance, and the indomitable human spirit. The quotes we’ve explored offer a mosaic of perspectives that underscore the complexity of human emotions, the depths of psychological resilience, and the perpetual struggle against the forces that seek to oppress and define us.