The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2)

by Margaret Atwood

discretion is the better part of valour,

I might have laughed, not yet realizing that female laughter would soon be in short supply.

it can put a lot of pressure on a person to be told they need to be strong.

“No one wants to die,” said Becka. “But some people don’t want to live in any of the ways that are allowed.”

I picture you as a young woman, bright, ambitious. You’ll be looking to make a niche for yourself in whatever dim, echoing caverns of academia may still exist by your time. I situate you at your desk, your hair tucked back behind your ears, your nail polish chipped—for nail polish will have returned, it always does. You’re frowning slightly, a habit that will increase as you age.