There is something powerful in the whispering of obscenities, about those in power. There’s something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling. It’s like a spell, of sorts. It deflates them, reduces them to the common denominator where they can be dealt with.

Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) Canadian writer, literary critic, environmental activist

The Handmaid’s Tale, ch. 34 (1986)
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