To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of – oh, of your father.’

Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.

Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’

‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’

‘People in their right minds never take pride in their talents,’

‘They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions,’ said Atticus, ‘but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.’

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.

You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut

It’s true that one should not sermonise others who don’t seek advice; best to keep silent in places where it’s clear that the advice will be ignored.

It helps folks if they can latch on to a reason.

Serving on a jury forces a man to make up his mind and declare himself about something. Men don’t like to do that. Sometimes it’s unpleasant.’

‘It’s not okay to hate anybody.’

Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.