“Reading and writing, like everything else, gets better with practice. And of course, if there are no young readers and writers, soon there will be no older ones either. Literacy will be dead, and democracy – which many believe goes hand in hand with it – will be dead as well.” — Margaret Atwood
In a quote from LiveMint, author Margaret Atwood emphasizes the critical role literacy plays in maintaining a free society.
With this quote, she suggested that literacy is not only a personal skill that requires constant improvement, but is also the lifeblood of democracy – without literate youth, the intellectual infrastructure of political systems ultimately fails.
What does the quote mean?
Margaret Atwood’s message about the crucial connection between literacy and democracy serves as both a practical reminder and a philosophical warning.
In the quote, she argued that reading and writing are skills that need to be cultivated through deliberate practice, much like any other discipline. She also extended this logic to a generational scale, arguing that if the cycle of literacy is broken, society loses the ability to engage in the critical thinking necessary for self-governance.
For Atwood, literacy was the primary tool that allowed individuals to decipher information, articulate their needs, and participate in the democratic process.
Without education—the ability to read deeply and articulately—citizens become vulnerable to manipulation and the democratic experiment faces an existential threat, she said.
Where does the quote come from?
The LiveMint quote is central to Margaret Atwood’s career as a public intellectual and art advocate. It is famously drawn from her 2004 essay Reading and Writing: The Long and Short of It, which was later collected in her nonfiction anthology Moving Targets: Writing with Intent 1982-2004.
In this work, Atwood reflected on the evolution of reading habits and the necessity of maintaining a literate public. Throughout her career, she has often addressed the intersection of language and power, advocating for libraries and education systems as fundamental guarantees of civil liberties.
About Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is a leading Canadian novelist, poet and critic whose career has spanned more than six decades. Born in Ottawa in 1939, she has become one of the most influential voices in modern literature.
Her work often explores themes of power, gender, identity and ecological collapse. Her most famous novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, has become a global cultural touchstone.
A winner of two Booker Prizes, Atwood remains a tireless advocate of the written word.
