Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
What can I possible say about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the world’s most beloved books of all time? I don’t feel adequate enough to tackle reviewing this book, so I’m not even going to try. I will say that I’m so glad that I was able to read this book without a high school book report or analysis hanging over my head. High school was the last time I read this book and well, I don’t think I appreciated it enough back then like I now do. This time around, I was able to just sit back, relax and enjoy it this great book.
Briefly stated, set during the great depression in Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird is about the injustices of the world as seen through nine year old Scout’s eyes. Through her father, brother, classmates, neighbors, and fellow townsmen, Scout learns about justice, equality, prejudice, social status, moral nature, sympathy, judgment and love.
If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, what are you waiting for? Seriously. So glad I picked this one up again.
Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird (because Harper Lee just says it so well):
Because I could never ask you to mind me again. Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change . . . – Atticus to Scout
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. – Atticus to Jeb
What I meant was, if Atticus Finch drank until he was drunk he wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their best. There are just some kind of men who-who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results. -Miss Maudie
Atticus said to Jem, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever hear Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “You’re father’s right,” she said. “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.” – Scout
The witnesses for the state.have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber. Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men cannot be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. – Atticus
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. – Atticus
As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. – Atticus
If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside. – Jem to Scout
When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em. – Atticus
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view–until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.-Atticus
Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. – Scout
You are too young to understand it … but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of–oh, of your father. – Miss Maudie
Have you read this one lately? Thoughts? On a sidenote, when I was in high school I had the pleasure of meeting Gregory Peck, who plays Atticus in the movie, at a function at the performing arts theater that I worked at. I’m sure they made us watch the movie in high school but I can’t recall it now. Is it worth watching?
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Category: Adult, Book Reviews, Fiction
Tags: banned, book to movie, classics, I-L Author, Pulitzer, Q-T Title
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I have never read To Kill a Mockingbird, but I have it on my TBR-stack now, thanks to all the great reviews I keep seeing on the bookblogs. I am looking forward to it so much!
on September 12th, 2008 at 6:07 amI have read this a few times. Yes, I would say you should watch the movie.
on September 12th, 2008 at 6:48 amI’ve read this book twice and loved it both times, but I think it’s time to pick it up again.
In fact, I just wrote an article about this book for the American Library Association for Banned Book week. Thanks for talking about this phenomenal book.
on September 12th, 2008 at 7:16 amIs the movie worth watching? ABSOLUTELY!!! It is one of the few instances where both the movie and the book have made my FAVORITES list. I LOVE that movie–and not just because of Gregory Peck (who is brilliant in it!)
on September 12th, 2008 at 7:38 amI haven’t read this book since high school either, and reading your review really makes me want to drop everything and read it again!
on September 12th, 2008 at 7:53 amThis book is such a treasure!
on September 12th, 2008 at 8:13 amOops . . . forgot to add that I loved rereading the quotes you posted – each being a gem!
on September 12th, 2008 at 8:15 amI love this book, and I would say the movie is definately worth checking out. It’s a classic, and it didn’t ruin the book for me (as so many horrible movies have).
on September 12th, 2008 at 9:44 amHere are my thoughts on my favorite book ever:
on September 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pmhttp://smallworldreads.blogspot.com/2008/04/to-kill-mockingbird.html
O my gosh you met Gregory Peck!!! I am so jealous! And the movie is definitely worth watching. It won three Oscars including Best Actor to Gregory Peck. How awesome!
on September 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pmI love this book–and the movie–I loved reading the quotes.
on September 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pmThis is one of my favorite books – definitely time for a reread. I’ve never seen the movie, but after reading the other comments, I guess I should.
on September 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pmThis is one of my favorite books! I just rewatched the movie about a month ago and remembered how great the movie is, too. Both are simply fantastic! Hope you enjoy the movie.
on September 12th, 2008 at 1:46 pmI should re-read this as well. I don’t remember much of my high school readings… And yes, sometimes you read “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Italian high schools! Only in Italian it has a different title, something that translated sounds like ‘The Darkness beyond the Fence’.
on September 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pmI read this book in junior high or high school and didnt appreciate either. Last year I read it again and loved it. Some “classics” do not deserve their status but this one does.
on September 12th, 2008 at 3:58 pmI LOVE this book, definitely one of my all-time favorites. Thank you for reminding me of some of the great passages from it.
on September 12th, 2008 at 3:58 pmI loved it in high school, and I loved it a few years ago when I finally reread it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the movie tho, so you’re in good (heh) company there.
on September 12th, 2008 at 4:43 pmI reread the book a few weeks ago and loved it again and the next week picked up the movie. I ABSOLUTELY hated the movie. I’ve decided there is no way to make a movie of this book because they’d have to leave too much out. The movie covered the story of Tom Robinson. It eliminated all the sub-stories and Scout’s development, instead following Jem as the child protagonist. I hated Gregory Peck’s acting and thought he was a horrible Atticus.
There was too little character development and too much repeating lines rather than acting (this was the 60s, so I guess acting had a different standard). It wasn’t the same at all.
However, I am certainly the minority in hating the movie because people always rave about how good Gregory Peck was and what a great movie it was (see above comments).
on September 12th, 2008 at 6:38 pmGreat quotes! I love this book. I did read it first in school with required analysis, papers, tests and all- but thankfully that did not spoil my enjoyment or appreciation of it- which I can’t say for all books that came my way via “required reading.”
on September 12th, 2008 at 7:10 pmwhat!?!?! there’s a movie!?!?! we read this last year in english. i liked it even with all the work. we only ever watched one movie in english and don’t even think we finished it. but yeah. those were some good quotes. i remember each one. and esp. the mockingbird one because obviously it has something to do with the title and we discussed that a lot in english. hmm. i’ll have to look into that movie. thanx!
on September 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pmI read this – and loved it – in high school. Then last year, I listened to the audiobook version, read by Sissy Spacek – one of the best readings on an audiobook I’ve ever heard.
on September 12th, 2008 at 9:11 pmRebecca Reid, This is why I dont watch the movies of books I love (ie. Harry Potter). I’m always disappointed.
on September 13th, 2008 at 9:01 amHey Carrie I listen to the book too and liked Sissy Spacek alot , she did such a good job.
Wow–you met Gregory Peck! To Kill a Mockingbird was one of my favorite books growing up. Thanks for the wonderful quotes.
on September 13th, 2008 at 10:24 amI haven’t read this since high school either. I think it is worth another read as well. I remember thinking the movie was decent too. Maybe I’ll give both another go.
I don’t remember all the details of all of those highschool reading list books; The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. About the only one I remember well is Catcher in the Rye because it is one of my favorites.
I remember what the books were about, but coulsn’t give you details. Maybe I need to do some re-reads.
on September 13th, 2008 at 12:14 pmOh yes, yes the movie is worth watching. It is not as good as the book, but it is good. And Gregory Peck is so handsome. His portrayal of Atticus is very impressive.
I am a high school English teacher, and I teach this book to freshmen. Most of them have a very hard time with it; the language isn’t what they are used to, and the storyline before the Robinson trial doesn’t have enough action for their taste. But I tell them all to keep the book and read it again when they are older, because I think everyone can come to a point in their life where they can appreciate this book.
on September 14th, 2008 at 2:04 pmI’m so glad to see this listed on the 1% Well-Read Challenge. I’m one third of the way through it and I just need one more book!!!
It is awfully good, and this is my third time reading it.
on September 19th, 2008 at 8:21 amI was forced to read it, but I actually enjoyed so no harm done.
on September 21st, 2008 at 12:01 pmCongrats on completing your first book for the Lit Flicks Challenge! I read this book a couple of weeks ago for my local library’s Big Read. I love this book and think everyone should reread it annually. Thanks for including all of the quotes!
on October 1st, 2008 at 11:18 amI re-read TKM at the cottage this summer. It was as wonderful as I remembered. Have you seen the film yet? I can’t believe you met Peck! He’s one of my all time faves. You must see the movie. I’d love to hear what you think.
on October 5th, 2008 at 7:00 pmI remember my mom raving about this book when I was a kid, so I read it. I remember a few plot details, but don’t remember being really touched by it. I think, like you, I probably need to read it again as an adult. (Its funny how much you change. As an example, I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time and loving it as a kid, but I read it a few years ago and it freaked me out big time.)
- Cesia.
on October 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pmhttp://ceceatitagain.blogspot.com
this book is one of the most amazing books of all time; i am currently doing a report on it here in high school. i know that i will read it many many more times in the futre.
on November 13th, 2008 at 11:27 amTo kill a mockingbird is one of the best books I have ever read.
on January 11th, 2009 at 9:42 amHarper Lee takes you into the lives of Atticus, Gem, Scout, and the entire community to show you the honest, bare facts of life during the depression in a small southern town of our country.
Along the way, Gem and Scout are taught the honest facts of life about the people who live in their world.
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on February 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pm“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” says Atticus to Scout. One of my personal favorite quotes, it exemplifies Atticus’ attitude towards his own self respect and morals. I agree with you – Harper Lee does say it best and if you want to find more of her best quotes from the novel, check out To Kill A Mockingbird on Shmoop. It might be helpful.
on April 28th, 2009 at 3:27 amit was an okay book
on September 28th, 2009 at 4:28 pmA rare instance where the book and movie match each other. I’m pretty sure Harper Lee oversaw the making of the movie. The movie doesn’t cover the breadth of the book, but what it does cover I thought it did perfectly. Peck is a perfect Atticus. No doubt about it.
on October 3rd, 2009 at 12:08 am