---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better? I say, in a small voice. How can…"
description: "\"“Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.”\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg"
---

#  Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is…

![“Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg)

> ““Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.””

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

“Better” is subjective; improvements for some may mean detriment to others, reflecting inequitable progress.

**In simple terms:** Progress isn’t universal.

Key Takeaway

Consider impacts on all groups.

Themes

inequality progress subjectivity

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- activism
- community planning

Key Concepts

political theory ethics social justice

Questions to Reflect On

- Who defines “better”?
- How to ensure inclusive progress?

A Different Perspective

Some changes truly benefit everyone.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-means-627872/) [Better Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-say-520493/) [Better Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-says-512209/) [Means Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-better-538785/) [The-handmaid-s-tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-handmaid-s-tale-186909/) [Think Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-better/)

## Related quotes

> [“So if you think that when you are better, it means that you can smash ahead and mate the guy, you are wrong, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-waitzkin/so-if-you-think-that-when-you-are-better-it-means-that-you-can-smash/)

[Josh Waitzkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-waitzkin/)

> [Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-never-means-better-for-everyone-it-always-means-worse-for-some/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [A better you means a better universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/a-better-you-means-a-better-universe/)

[Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/)

> [“On the top of my desk there are initials, carved into the wood, and dates...This carving, done with a pencil dug many times into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/on-the-top-of-my-desk-there-are-initials-carved-into-the-wood-and/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I was nervous. How was I to know he loved me? It might be just an affair. Why did we ever say just? Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-was-nervous-how-was-i-to-know-he-loved-me-it-might-be-just-an/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I have enough daily bread, so I won't waste time on that. It isn't the main problem. The problem is getting it down without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-have-enough-daily-bread-so-i-won-t-waste-time-on-that-it-isn-t-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The summer dresses are unpacked and hanging in the closet, two of them, pure cotton, which is better than synthetics like the cheaper ones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-summer-dresses-are-unpacked-and-hanging-in-the-closet-two-of-them/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I find the entrance to the women's washroom...There's a rest area, gently lit in pinkish tones, with several easy chairs and a sofa, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-find-the-entrance-to-the-women-s-washroom-there-s-a-rest-area/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The tulips along the border are redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups but chalices; thrusting themselves up, to what end? They are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-tulips-along-the-border-are-redder-than-ever-opening-no-longer/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Possible, impossible. What could be done? We thought we had such problems. How were we to know we were happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/possible-impossible-what-could-be-done-we-thought-we-had-such/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“How were we to know we were happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [So I think it's better to say something than not to say anything at all, even to an ignorant person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/so-i-think-it-s-better-to-say-something-than-not-to-say-anything-at/)

[Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/)

> [“You may be the person who says the wrong thing, but that’s better than being the one who says nothing at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-mcinerny-purmort/you-may-be-the-person-who-says-the-wrong-thing-but-that-s-better-than/)

[Nora McInerny Purmort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-mcinerny-purmort/)

> [God answers in 3 ways: he says yes &amp; gives you what you want, he says no &amp; gives you something better, or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/god-answers-in-3-ways-he-says-yes-gives-you-what-you-want-he-says-no/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“Let’s talk about something else,’ I say, and ask him how things are going with George. ‘Things are better,’ he says, and I’m surprised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/let-s-talk-about-something-else-i-say-and-ask-him-how-things-are/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

## More by Margaret Atwood

> [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/)

[margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More The-handmaid-s-tale quotes

> [“The summer dresses are unpacked and hanging in the closet, two of them, pure cotton, which is better than synthetics like the cheaper ones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-summer-dresses-are-unpacked-and-hanging-in-the-closet-two-of-them/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“How were we to know we were happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Possible, impossible. What could be done? We thought we had such problems. How were we to know we were happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/possible-impossible-what-could-be-done-we-thought-we-had-such/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The tulips along the border are redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups but chalices; thrusting themselves up, to what end? They are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-tulips-along-the-border-are-redder-than-ever-opening-no-longer/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I find the entrance to the women's washroom...There's a rest area, gently lit in pinkish tones, with several easy chairs and a sofa, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-find-the-entrance-to-the-women-s-washroom-there-s-a-rest-area/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I have enough daily bread, so I won't waste time on that. It isn't the main problem. The problem is getting it down without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-have-enough-daily-bread-so-i-won-t-waste-time-on-that-it-isn-t-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I was nervous. How was I to know he loved me? It might be just an affair. Why did we ever say just? Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-was-nervous-how-was-i-to-know-he-loved-me-it-might-be-just-an/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“On the top of my desk there are initials, carved into the wood, and dates...This carving, done with a pencil dug many times into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/on-the-top-of-my-desk-there-are-initials-carved-into-the-wood-and/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Browse all 9 The-handmaid-s-tale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-handmaid-s-tale-186909/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he-think-this-is-better-better/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "The-handmaid-s-tale"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he-think-this-is-better-better/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/margaret-atwood-40_the-handmaid-s-tale_better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he_2574343.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he…” — Margaret Atwood",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Margaret Atwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Better? I say, in a small...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he-think-this-is-better-better/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he-think-this-is-better-better/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
