---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I am good enough and quiet enough…"
description: "\"If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet and good, it’s like hanging on to the edge o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg"
---

#  If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all…

![“If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet and good, it’s like hanging on to the edge of a bridge when you’ve already fallen over; you don’t seem to be moving, just dangling there, and yet it is taking all your strength.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg)

> “If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet and good, it’s like hanging on to the edge of a bridge when you’ve already fallen over; you don’t seem to be moving, just dangling there, and yet it is taking all your strength.”

[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.

Feeling trapped despite effort; the struggle of being good and quiet feels like hanging on a bridge edge after a fall, draining all strength.

**In simple terms:** Being good and quiet can feel like a painful stalemate.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when effort becomes self‑defeating.

Themes

struggle identity powerlessness

Mood

tired frustrated hopeful

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- workplace dynamics
- personal relationships
- mental health
- social expectations

Key Concepts

existential fatigue self‑sacrifice

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you feel your kindness is being exploited?
- How can you assert agency without losing integrity?

A Different Perspective

Quiet compliance may reinforce oppression rather than liberate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/)

## Related quotes

> [“2)"Even though this planet is round, there are just too many spots where you can find yourself hanging on to the edge just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-naylor/2-even-though-this-planet-is-round-there-are-just-too-many-spots/)

[Gloria Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-naylor/)

> [Even though the planet is round, there are just too many spots where you can find yourself hanging on to the edge just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-naylor/even-though-the-planet-is-round-there-are-just-too-many-spots-where/)

[Gloria Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-naylor/)

> [If it's taking all your strength. If it's killing your heart. If it's making you bear to much pain. It's making you ignore everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/if-it-s-taking-all-your-strength-if-it-s-killing-your-heart-if-it-s/)

[Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/)

> [If I keep getting letters or if I keep getting messages from people who are still taking strength from my story, who are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-thomas/if-i-keep-getting-letters-or-if-i-keep-getting-messages-from-people/)

[Gareth Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-thomas/)

> [I am never going to be much of a physical presence. For me, it's more about taking my strength and finding a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connor-mcdavid/i-am-never-going-to-be-much-of-a-physical-presence-for-me-it-s-more/)

[Connor McDavid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connor-mcdavid/)

> [If you like not hanging, drown yourself; Take some course for your reputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-massinger/if-you-like-not-hanging-drown-yourself-take-some-course-for-your/)

[Philip Massinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-massinger/)

> [I find beauty in unusual things, like hanging your head out the window or sitting on a fire escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-find-beauty-in-unusual-things-like-hanging-your-head-out-the-window/)

[Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/)

> [Actors are like race horses. They like to run - they don't like to be hanging about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/actors-are-like-race-horses-they-like-to-run-they-don-t-like-to-be/)

[Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/)

> [I like hanging out with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-mustafa/i-like-hanging-out-with-people/)

[Isaiah Mustafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-mustafa/)

> [“I had a feeling that day, like something was hanging over me.--Jessica”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-bode/i-had-a-feeling-that-day-like-something-was-hanging-over-me-jessica/)

[Janet Bode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-bode/)

> [I always wanted my stand-up to feel like not just a show, but like you're hanging out with someone for an hour. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-davidson/i-always-wanted-my-stand-up-to-feel-like-not-just-a-show-but-like-you/)

[Pete Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-davidson/)

> [If you work with us on our set, it's a really good time...I think people were mostly drawn into just like the hanging-out-together aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-arnold/if-you-work-with-us-on-our-set-it-s-a-really-good-time-i-think-people/)

[Tom Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-arnold/)

> [I just like hanging out, really. I'm not too hard to please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-simmons/i-just-like-hanging-out-really-i-m-not-too-hard-to-please/)

[Ben Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-simmons/)

> [Hanging on to you Is like hanging on to A Rope made of fire.. It's difficult.. It's hurt... But I'm dumb enough To do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/hanging-on-to-you-is-like-hanging-on-to-a-rope-made-of-fire-it-s/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“My sanity felt like it was hanging over a pit, dangling on a frayed string that I knew was going to break - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-secora/my-sanity-felt-like-it-was-hanging-over-a-pit-dangling-on-a-frayed/)

Sara Secora

## 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 Bridges quotes

> [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/)

[Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/)

[Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/)

> [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/)

[Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/)

> [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/)

[Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/)

[Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet and good, it’s like hanging on to the edge of a bridge when you’ve already fallen over; you don’t seem to be moving, just dangling there, and yet it is taking all your strength.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-perhaps-after-all-they-will-let/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bridges"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-perhaps-after-all-they-will-let/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/margaret-atwood-40_bridges_if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-per_1840018.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I am good enough and quiet enough, perhaps after all they will let me go; but it’s not easy being quiet…” — 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": "If I am good enough and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-perhaps-after-all-they-will-let/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-i-am-good-enough-and-quiet-enough-perhaps-after-all-they-will-let/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
