59 Margaret Atwood Quotes for You to Enjoy

Margaret Atwood

Canadian Novelist

Born: Nov 18, 1939

Because People Science Think Writing You

Related authors: Claire Cameron David Bergen Joy Fielding Mordecai Richler Rachel Cusk Robertson Davies Ruth Ozeki

There's a difference between describing and evoking something. You can describe something and be quite clinical about it. To evoke it, you call it up in the reader. That's what writers do when they're good. Margaret Atwood

Good You Evoke Evoking About Something Writers Between Call Reader Clinical Up Quite Difference Describe Describing

The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love. Margaret Atwood

Love Valentines Day Important Ought Had Names Because Snow Them Many

Reading and writing, like everything else, improve with practice. And, of course, if there are no young readers and writers, there will shortly be no older ones. Literacy will be dead, and democracy - which many believe goes hand in hand with it - will be dead as well. Margaret Atwood

Democracy Writing Will Practice Reading Young Older Believe Else Everything Everything Else Writers Like Dead Well Readers Course Hand Hand-In-Hand Improve Goes Literacy Which Many

Optimism means better than reality; pessimism means worse than reality. I'm a realist. Margaret Atwood

Reality Better Worse Optimism Than Realist Means Pessimism

If you're put on a pedestal, you're supposed to behave yourself like a pedestal type of person. Pedestals actually have a limited circumference. Not much room to move around. Margaret Atwood

You Yourself Pedestal Type Circumference Put Like Supposed Around Limited Person Behave Move Room Much Actually

We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly. Margaret Atwood

Man Woman Leader Think Born Powerful Powerful Man Anomaly Still

A divorce is like an amputation: you survive it, but there's less of you. Margaret Atwood

You Divorce Like Survive Less

Our generation in the west was lucky: we had readymade gateways. We had books, paper, teachers, schools and libraries. But many in the world lack these luxuries. How do you practice without such tryout venues? Margaret Atwood

'1984' is not a wonder tale. Not only could it happen, but it has happened, but under different names. Margaret Atwood

Only Could Tale Names Wonder Different Happen Happened Different Names

I'm a strict, strict agnostic. It's very different from a casual, 'I don't know.' It's that you cannot present as knowledge something that is not knowledge. You can present it as faith, you can present it as belief, but you can't present it as fact. Margaret Atwood

Faith Knowledge You Strict Something Fact Casual Know Very Different Cannot Agnostic Belief Present

I've never bought into any sort of hard and fast, this-box/that-box characterization. People are individuals. Yes, they may be expected to be a particular way. But that doesn't mean they're going to be that way. Margaret Atwood

People Way Characterization Never Bought Individuals Particular Particular Way Sort Yes Expected Any Going May Mean Hard Fast

I was once a graduate student in Victorian literature, and I believe as the Victorian novelists did, that a novel isn't simply a vehicle for private expression, but that it also exists for social examination. I firmly believe this. Margaret Atwood

Believe Once Examination Student Simply Vehicle Firmly Also Private Exists Did Graduate Graduate Student Literature Victorian Social Novel Novelists Expression