My Evil Mother Quotes

“They may not like me, but they respect me. Respect is better than like.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“She said that wanting to be liked was a weakness of character.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“The opposite of ‘mean’ is ‘doormat,”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“The protector was her, the greater power was her, the Universe that took an interest was her as well; always her. “I love you,” I said.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“I didn’t want you to feel defenseless in the face of life. Life can be harsh. I wanted you to feel protected, and to know that there was a greater power watching over you. That the Universe was taking a personal interest.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“You were such a sensitive child. So easily wounded. So I told you those things. I didn’t want you to feel defenseless in the face of life. Life can be harsh. I wanted you to feel protected, and to know that there was a greater power watching over you. That the Universe was taking a personal interest.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Single strand of pearls, wild, not cultured. (Worth it, she said: only the wild ones had souls.)”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Why would I care about the tittle-tattle of the uninformed? Ignorant gossip.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“The protector was her - the greater power was her - the universe that took an interest was her as well - always her.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Miss Scace died years ago.” “Appearances can be deceptive. She only looks dead.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Why would I care about the tittle-tattle of the uninformed?”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“In everything, she took care to imitate the third choice of Goldilocks: just right.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Penis theft was something new: that piece of lore hadn’t come up when I was in high school.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Girls of that age can be quite sadistic.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Avenging a toad. Pointing at a tree. Who could handle that kind of thing, in a mother?”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“She was keeping it in a cedar box with some other penises she’d stolen; she was feeding them on grains of wheat. That’s the usual method of tending penises.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“She sighed. “You were such a sensitive child. So easily wounded. So I told you those things. I didn’t want you to feel defenseless in the face of life. Life can be harsh. I wanted you to feel protected, and to know that there was a greater power watching over you. That the Universe was taking a personal interest.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“And did you feel protected?”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“My mother had a thing for blue in tableware; she said it warded off any evil eyes intent on ruining the food.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“was ahead of her time with the garlic, I feel compelled to mention:”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“She was keeping it in a cedar box with some other penises”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“she stole his penis.” “What?” Penis theft”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“Don’t you care what they say about you?” “Why would I care about the tittle-tattle of the uninformed? Ignorant gossip.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“in her mortar, though sometimes she used the Mixmaster. If I said, “What’s that?” she might say, “Garlic and parsley,” and I’d know she was in Joy of Cooking mode. But if she said, “Look the other way” or “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” or “I’ll tell you when you’re old”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“I disagreed. I didn’t care about being respected—that was a schoolteacher thing, like black lace-up shoes—but I very much wanted to be liked. My mother frequently said I’d have to give up that frivolous desire if I was going to amount to anything. She said that wanting to be liked was a weakness of character.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“It’s hard living with someone who’s always right. Even when it turned out that she was.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“You were such a sensitive child. So easily wounded. So I told you those things. I didn’t want you to feel defenseless in the face of life. Life can be harsh. I wanted you to feel protected, and to know that there was a greater power watching over you. That the Universe was taking a personal interest.” I kissed her forehead, a skull with a very thin covering of skin. The protector was her, the greater power was her, the Universe that took an interest was”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“My boyfriends didn’t last, even when they weren’t nixed by my mother. I’d developed a habit of discarding them before they could do the same to me.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“They may not like me, but they respect me. Respect is better than like.” I disagreed. I didn’t care about being respected—that was a schoolteacher thing, like black lace-up shoes—but I very much wanted to be liked. My mother frequently said I’d have to give up that frivolous desire if I was going to amount to anything. She said that wanting to be liked was a weakness of character.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother

“It’s hard living with someone who’s always right. Even when it turned out that she was. It can be . . . alarming.”
― Margaret Atwood, My Evil Mother