--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We wait, the clock in the hall ticks…" description: "\"“We wait, the clock in the hall ticks, Serena lights another cigarette, I get into the car. It’s a Saturday morning, it’s a September, we still have a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/margaret-atwood-40_peace_we-wait-the-clock-in-the-hall-ticks-sere_847805.jpg" --- # We wait, the clock in the hall ticks, Serena lights… ![“We wait, the clock in the hall ticks, Serena lights another cigarette, I get into the car. It’s a Saturday morning, it’s a September, we still have a car. Other people have had to sell theirs. My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/margaret-atwood-40_peace_we-wait-the-clock-in-the-hall-ticks-sere_847805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/margaret-atwood-40_peace_we-wait-the-clock-in-the-hall-ticks-sere_847805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/margaret-atwood-40_peace_we-wait-the-clock-in-the-hall-ticks-sere_847805.jpg) > ““We wait, the clock in the hall ticks, Serena lights another cigarette, I get into the car. It’s a Saturday morning, it’s a September, we still have a car. Other people have had to sell theirs. My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter.”” [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. Identity is linked to names; losing it erodes self‑worth, yet reclaiming it restores agency. **In simple terms:** Names matter for identity. Key Takeaway Protect your identity. Themes identity self‑worth resistance Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - oppressive societies - self‑affirmation Key Concepts existentialism power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does naming affect personal power? - Can identity survive without a name? A Different Perspective Names alone cannot change systemic oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Saturday morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday-morning/) ## Related quotes > [We awoke one morning in September, and the world lurched on its axis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/we-awoke-one-morning-in-september-and-the-world-lurched-on-its-axis/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/autumn-seemed-to-arrive-suddenly-that-year-the-morning-of-the-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm on VH1 now, will be working on ITV's This Morning again from September.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-snowdon/i-m-on-vh1-now-will-be-working-on-itv-s-this-morning-again-from/) [Lisa Snowdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-snowdon/) > [“Banks felt more alone and further away for having just talked to Sophia than he had before her call. But it was always like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-robinson/banks-felt-more-alone-and-further-away-for-having-just-talked-to/) [Peter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-robinson/) > [We must get into the picture business. This is a new industry and a gold mine. it looks like another telephone industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kennedy/we-must-get-into-the-picture-business-this-is-a-new-industry-and-a/) [Joseph P. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kennedy/) > [We think computing ought to be like a telephone or a water tap or a light switch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcnealy/we-think-computing-ought-to-be-like-a-telephone-or-a-water-tap-or-a/) [Scott McNealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcnealy/) > [Life with Mary was like being in a telephone booth with an open umbrella-no matter which way you turned, you got it in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/life-with-mary-was-like-being-in-a-telephone-booth-with-an-open/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [“Events are like telephone poles, streaming back past the observation platform of a speeding train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/events-are-like-telephone-poles-streaming-back-past-the-observation/) [Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/) > [My life is like a Telephone Directory, Too many character's but no story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-life-is-like-a-telephone-directory-too-many-character-s-but-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His words ring through me like a game of telephone, where my mom begins with a whisper into one ear, two ears, three ears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-viramontez/his-words-ring-through-me-like-a-game-of-telephone-where-my-mom/) [Jackie Viramontez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-viramontez/) > [Similitude of the heart is like that of a telephone operator between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/similitude-of-the-heart-is-like-that-of-a-telephone-operator-between/) [Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/) > [“My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/my-name-isn-t-offred-i-have-another-name-which-nobody-uses-now/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“My name isn’t Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/my-name-isn-t-offred-i-have-another-name-which-nobody-uses-now-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [It's the little things you remember. My mam, Sue, would take me to training in a taxi when I was a kid if Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-pickford/it-s-the-little-things-you-remember-my-mam-sue-would-take-me-to/) [Jordan Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-pickford/) > [“Saturday morning, the place is packed with gossiping old men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-cross/saturday-morning-the-place-is-packed-with-gossiping-old-men/) [Amy Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-cross/) ## 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 Peace quotes > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) W.J. Turner > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/) [Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [“There is no fortune greater than peace; there is no force greater than peace; there is no excellent tapas greater than peace; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muruganar/there-is-no-fortune-greater-than-peace-there-is-no-force-greater-than/) [Muruganar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muruganar/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. 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