Go away, the old buildings said. There is no place for you here. You are not wanted. We have secrets.
Harper Lee
Old Buildings, Rejection, Isolation, Secrets Kept, Place Of Exclusion, Unwanted Presence
Harper Lee’s Quotes On Topics
Social Critique | Local Knowledge | Tribute | Ridicule | Patience Lessons | Prejudice Parallels | Voting Rights | Hardships | Innocent Act | Comfort | Trapped Feelings | Societal Roles | Parental Reactions | Tragedy | Misogyny | Anguish | Rights | Gentleman | Father-Son Bond | Self Discovery | More
More Harper Lee Quotes
“No, I mean I can smell somebody an’ tell if they’re gonna die. An old lady taught me how. Jean – Louise – Finch, you are going to die in three days.” Harper Lee
Prophetic Warning, Supernatural Senses, Death Forewarning, Prophecy, Warning
Harper Lee Prophetic Warning, Supernatural Senses, Death Forewarning, Prophecy, Warning“Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” Atticus put his face in my hair and rubbed it. When he got up and walked across the porch into the shadows, his youthful step had returned. Before he went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. “Thank you for my children, Arthur,” he said.” Harper Lee
Boo Radley, Parental Gratitude, Protecting Innocence, Mockingbird, Gratitude, Parenthood
Harper Lee Boo Radley, Parental Gratitude, Protecting Innocence, Mockingbird, Gratitude, Parenthood“I was taught never to take advantage of anyone who was less fortunate than myself, whether he be less fortunate in brains, wealth, or social position; it meant anybody, not just Negroes.” Harper Lee
Less Fortunate, Moral Obligation, Social Position, Equality, Empathy, Personal Values
Harper Lee Less Fortunate, Moral Obligation, Social Position, Equality, Empathy, Personal Values“Jem was standing in a corner of the room, looking like the traitor he was. Dill, I had to tell him, he said. You can’t run three hundred miles off without your mother knowin’.” Harper Lee
Family Loyalty, Childhood Adventures, Trust Issues, Loyalty, Childhood, Trust
Harper Lee Family Loyalty, Childhood Adventures, Trust Issues, Loyalty, Childhood, Trust“With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable.” Harper Lee
Emotional Dependence, Routine Comfort, Deep Loss, Dependence, Comfort, Loss
Harper Lee Emotional Dependence, Routine Comfort, Deep Loss, Dependence, Comfort, Loss“Well, they're Southern people, and if they know you are working at home they think nothing of walking right in for coffee. But they wouldn't dream of interrupting you at golf.” Harper Lee
Hospitality, Informality, Community, Privacy, Tradition, Leisure
Harper Lee Hospitality, Informality, Community, Privacy, Tradition, Leisure“Boo and I walked up the steps to the porch. His fingers found the doorknob. He gently released my hand, opened the door, enter inside, and shut the door behind him. I never saw him again.” Harper Lee
Bittersweet Farewell, Emotional Connection, Final Goodbye, Farewell, Connection, Goodbye
Harper Lee Bittersweet Farewell, Emotional Connection, Final Goodbye, Farewell, Connection, Goodbye“For reasons unfathomable to the most experienced prophets in Maycomb County, autumn turned to winter that year.” Harper Lee
Change, Mystery, Seasons, Tradition, Uncertainty, Reflection
Harper Lee Change, Mystery, Seasons, Tradition, Uncertainty, Reflection“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.” Harper Lee
Live With Oneself, Majority Rule, Conscience, Self-awareness, Inner Conflict, Integrity
Harper Lee Live With Oneself, Majority Rule, Conscience, Self-awareness, Inner Conflict, Integrity“I have no time to think about other writers. I am too busy with my own problems.” Harper Lee
Creative Focus, Individual Work, Priorities, Focus, Work
Harper Lee Creative Focus, Individual Work, Priorities, Focus, Work“Hell is eternal apartness. What had she done that she must spend the rest of her years reaching out with yearning for them, making secret trips to long ago, making no journey to the present? I am their blood and bones, I have dug in this ground, this is my home. But I am not their blood, the ground doesn’t care who digs it, I am a stranger at a cocktail party.” Harper Lee
Isolation, Identity, Struggle, Acceptance, Memory, Connection
Harper Lee Isolation, Identity, Struggle, Acceptance, Memory, Connection“He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” Harper Lee
Innocence, Loss, Cruelty, Compassion, Injustice, Symbolism
Harper Lee Innocence, Loss, Cruelty, Compassion, Injustice, Symbolism“Don’t push her. Let her go at her own speed. Push her and every mule in the county’d be easier to live with.” Harper Lee
Pace, Respect Boundaries, Patience, Independence, Rural Life, Perseverance
Harper Lee Pace, Respect Boundaries, Patience, Independence, Rural Life, Perseverance“Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” Harper Lee
Boo Radley, Caring Gesture, Protective Act, Blanket Moment, Innocent Act, Fire Watching
Harper Lee Boo Radley, Caring Gesture, Protective Act, Blanket Moment, Innocent Act, Fire Watching“My father is one of the few men I’ve known who has genuine humility, and it lends him a natural dignity. He has absolutely no ego drive, and so he is one of the most beloved men in this part of the state.” Harper Lee
Humility, Integrity, Respect, Leadership, Kindness, Dignity
Harper Lee Humility, Integrity, Respect, Leadership, Kindness, Dignity“Now we are both lonely, for entirely different reasons, but it feels the same, doesn’t it?” Harper Lee
Shared Loneliness, Emotional Reflection, Human Connection, Loneliness, Reflection, Connection
Harper Lee Shared Loneliness, Emotional Reflection, Human Connection, Loneliness, Reflection, Connection“Had I ever harbored the mystical notions about mountains that seem to obsess lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.” Harper Lee
Family Analogies, Childhood Memories, Cold Realities, Analogies, Memories, Realities
Harper Lee Family Analogies, Childhood Memories, Cold Realities, Analogies, Memories, Realities“But I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.” Harper Lee
Parental Wisdom, Listening Lessons, Hidden Teachings, Wisdom, Listening, Teachings
Harper Lee Parental Wisdom, Listening Lessons, Hidden Teachings, Wisdom, Listening, Teachings“Jefferson believed full citizenship was a privilege to be earned by each man, that it was not something given lightly nor to be taken lightly. A man couldn’t vote simply because he was a man, in Jefferson’s eyes. He had to be a responsible man. A vote was, to Jefferson, a precious privilege a man attained for himself in a – a live-and-let-live economy.” Harper Lee
Live-and-let-live, Responsible Man, Citizenship Privilege, Earned Right, Political Awareness, Jefferson’s View
Harper Lee Live-and-let-live, Responsible Man, Citizenship Privilege, Earned Right, Political Awareness, Jefferson’s View