Colette, Sidonie-Gabrielle -- My Mother’s House [La Maison de Claudine], “The Priest on the Wall [Le curé sur le mur]” (1922) [tr. Troubridge/McLeod (1949)]

Dave — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:16:01 +0000

It is not a bad thing that children should occasionally, and politely, put parents in their place.

[Il n’est pas mauvais que les enfants remettent de temps en temps, avec politesse, les parents à leur place.]

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) French writer
My Mother’s House [La Maison de Claudine], “The Priest on the Wall [Le curé sur le mur]” (1922) [tr. Troubridge/McLeod (1949)]
(Source)

(Source (French))

Atwood, Margaret -- The Handmaid’s Tale, ch. 34 (1986)

Dave — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 23:49:58 +0000

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)
(Source)

WIST Quotations

Colette, Sidonie-Gabrielle -- My Mother’s House [La Maison de Claudine], “The Priest on the Wall [Le curé sur le mur]” (1922) [tr. Troubridge/McLeod (1949)]

Atwood, Margaret -- The Handmaid’s Tale, ch. 34 (1986)