--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes there would be couples, arm in…" description: "\"“Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing, happy, amorous. Victims of an enormous fraud, and at the same time its perpetrators, or so I fe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg" --- # Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing… ![“Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing, happy, amorous. Victims of an enormous fraud, and at the same time its perpetrators, or so I felt.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg) > ““Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing, happy, amorous. Victims of an enormous fraud, and at the same time its perpetrators, or so I felt.”” [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. Describes couples as both victims and perpetrators of a larger deception. **In simple terms:** Couples can be both fooled and guilty. Key Takeaway Question roles in deception. Themes trust deception relationships Mood thoughtful poignant Type literary analytical When to use this quote - relationship counseling - literary analysis - social critique Key Concepts power dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What makes victims also perpetrators? - How does deception shape intimacy? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize relationship dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amorous Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amorous-victims-1840099/) [Arm Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arm-laughing-1840103/) [Couples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couples/) [Couples Arm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couples-arm-1840102/) [Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fake/) [Fraud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fraud/) [Happy Amorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-amorous-1840101/) [Margaret-atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margaret-atwood-2/) [Perpetrators Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetrators-felt-1840100/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [The-blind-assassin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-blind-assassin/) ## Related quotes > [I felt a tickle on my skin; it took me a moment to realize that Cole was driving his die-cast Mustang up my arm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-felt-a-tickle-on-my-skin-it-took-me-a-moment-to-realize-that-cole-2/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Sympathy from strangers can be ruinous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sympathy-from-strangers-can-be-ruinous/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“How I would like to have them back, those pointless afternoons - the boredom, the aimlessness, the unformed possibilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-i-would-like-to-have-them-back-those-pointless-afternoons-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She stubs out her cigarette in the brown glass ashtray, then settles herself against him, ear to his chest. She likes to hear his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-stubs-out-her-cigarette-in-the-brown-glass-ashtray-then-settles/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The poems that used to entrance me in the days of Miss Violence now struck me as overdone and sickly. Alas, burthen, thine, cometh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-poems-that-used-to-entrance-me-in-the-days-of-miss-violence-now/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The ancestral voices were prophesying war because ancestral voices never shut up, and they hate to be wrong, and war is a sure thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-ancestral-voices-were-prophesying-war-because-ancestral-voices-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“In case you're wondering, vanity never ends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-case-you-re-wondering-vanity-never-ends/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Stick a shovel in the ground almost anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/stick-a-shovel-in-the-ground-almost-anywhere-and-some-horrible-thing/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Already my childhood seemed far away—a remote age, faded and bittersweet, like dried flowers. Did I regret its loss, did I want it back?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/already-my-childhood-seemed-far-away-a-remote-age-faded-and/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“One look at a banana and you can tell it came from outer space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/one-look-at-a-banana-and-you-can-tell-it-came-from-outer-space/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Already they're the objects of narrow sideways looks, as if they had something to do with it; already they've assumed the cornered, angry air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/already-they-re-the-objects-of-narrow-sideways-looks-as-if-they-had/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I wonder which is preferable, to walk around all your life swollen up with your own secrets until you burst from the pressure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wonder-which-is-preferable-to-walk-around-all-your-life-swollen-up/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I didn't know I was about to be left with her idea of me; with her idea of my goodness pinned onto me like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-didn-t-know-i-was-about-to-be-left-with-her-idea-of-me-with-her/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“What did they want from it? Lechery, smut, confirmation of their worst suspicions. But perhaps some of them wanted, despite themselves, to be seduced.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/what-did-they-want-from-it-lechery-smut-confirmation-of-their-worst/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## 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 Couples quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) [John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/) > [Valentine's Day: Rubbing singles' noses in their lack of a mate and the noses of couples in their lack of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/valentine-s-day-rubbing-singles-noses-in-their-lack-of-a-mate-and-the/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [“To lovers out there… Pregnancy is the main reason why most couples are married today. Yet every day they ask themselves why they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/to-lovers-out-there-pregnancy-is-the-main-reason-why-most-couples-are/) [De philosopher DJ Kyos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“Successful friendships are established on both giving and receiving. Develop a heart to give not only to receive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-arthur/successful-friendships-are-established-on-both-giving-and-receiving/) [John Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-arthur/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Couples who rarely or never have sex can know lifelong love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/couples-who-rarely-or-never-have-sex-can-know-lifelong-love/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Like so many couples, my husband and I had a hard time trying to conceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/like-so-many-couples-my-husband-and-i-had-a-hard-time-trying-to/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [All couples have ups and downs but how you handle it is what defines true love. arguments are simply a test to see if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keesling-moraiji-tatenda/all-couples-have-ups-and-downs-but-how-you-handle-it-is-what-defines/) [Keesling Moraiji Tatenda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keesling-moraiji-tatenda/) > [Couples without kids have each other, their friends, families, and Siri to talk to. It's not like they're quarantining themselves in an underground bunker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/couples-without-kids-have-each-other-their-friends-families-and-siri/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [“As I walked inside, she turned around and headed for the end of the bed. Then she paused and turned to face me. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-scott/as-i-walked-inside-she-turned-around-and-headed-for-the-end-of-the/) [Kieran Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-scott/) > [I support gay unions. I think the government should get out of the marriage business completely - leave marriages to the churches. And grant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-support-gay-unions-i-think-the-government-should-get-out-of-the/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [Rich people making their houses bigger in order to make their lives happier wind up hurting their own marriages. There's a deep irony here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/rich-people-making-their-houses-bigger-in-order-to-make-their-lives/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [The way we think may be completely different, but you and I are an ancient, archetypal couple, the original man and woman. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/the-way-we-think-may-be-completely-different-but-you-and-i-are-an/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) [Browse all 542 Couples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couples/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing, happy, amorous. Victims of an enormous fraud, and at the same time its perpetrators, or so I felt.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in-arm-laughing-happy-amorous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Couples" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in-arm-laughing-happy-amorous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/margaret-atwood-40_couples_sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in_2588494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes there would be couples, arm in arm—laughing, happy, amorous. Victims of an enormous fraud, and at…” — 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": "“Sometimes there would be couples, arm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in-arm-laughing-happy-amorous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sometimes-there-would-be-couples-arm-in-arm-laughing-happy-amorous/#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 } } ] } ```