“Reading and writing, like everything else, improve with practice. And, of course, if there are no young readers and writers, there will soon 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
In LiveMint’s quote of the day, author Margaret Atwood highlights the essential role of literacy in maintaining a free society.
With this quote, she suggested that the arts of reading and writing are not only personal skills that require constant refinement but are also the lifeblood of democracy — without a literate youth, the intellectual infrastructure of political systems eventually fails.
What does the quote mean?
Margaret Atwood’s message on the vital link between literacy and democracy serves as both a practical reminder and a philosophical warning.
In the quote, she asserted that reading and writing are skills that must 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 will lose its 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 — capability of deep reading and clear expression — citizens become vulnerable to manipulation, and the democratic experiment faces an existential threat, she said.
Where does the quote come from?
LiveMint’s quote is a central theme of Margaret Atwood’s career as a public intellectual and advocate for the arts. It is famously drawn from her 2004 essay Reading and Writing: The Long and Short of Itwhich was later collected in her anthology of non-fiction, 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 frequently addressed the intersection of language and power, advocating for libraries and educational systems as the foundational safeguards of civil liberties.
About Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is a preeminent Canadian novelist, poet, and critic whose career spans more than six decades. Born in Ottawa in 1939, she has become one of the most influential voices in modern literature.
Her work frequently explores themes of power, gender, identity, and environmental collapse. Her most famous novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, became a global cultural touchstone.
A winner of two Booker Prizes, Atwood remains a tireless advocate for the written word.
