6 Best Margaret Atwood Quotes

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.”

Offred discovers this Latin phrase scratched into the closet wall by the previous Handmaid, meaning 'Don't let the bastards grind you down.' It becomes a secret mantra of resistance for her.

“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It was the absence of stories, of information, that was most frightening.”

Offred reflects on the gradual disappearance of news and information during the transition to Gilead, emphasizing the power of censorship and the fear it instills.

“Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance. You have to work at it.”

Offred observes how people in Gilead actively choose to ignore the atrocities around them, highlighting the complicity of silence and the effort required to maintain willful blindness.

“A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.”

Offred contemplates the illusion of freedom within Gilead's highly controlled society, where choices are limited to pre-approved options within a larger system of oppression.

“But I keep on going, trying to remember what it was like to be in love. It's like trying to remember a dream. You can't quite get a hold of it.”

Offred struggles to recall the emotions and intimacy of her past life with Luke, underscoring the psychological toll of her current existence and the erosion of personal memory.

“Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some.”

Offred reflects on the justifications given for Gilead's creation, understanding that the promise of a 'better' society often comes at the expense of others' rights and well-being.