It’s quite a thing, if you’ve never been in or known a small southern town. The people are not particularly sophisticated, naturally. They’re not worldly wise in any way. But they tell you a story whenever they see you.
Harper Lee
Southern Towns, Simple Wisdom, Storytelling Tradition, Small Towns, Wisdom, Tradition
Harper Lee’s Quotes On Topics
Judicial Fairness | Moral Society | Playfulness | Practical Justice | Authenticity | Slowness | Human Understanding | Fame | Bonds | Translation Help | Departures | Lies | True Courage | Femininity Challenges | Inner Conflict | Thick Skin | Trapped | Personal Workstyle | American Dream | Bittersweet Farewell | More
More Harper Lee Quotes
“Baby, you’ll have to grow some more before this makes sense to you, but your daddy and your mamma loved each other something fierce, and when you love somebody like that, Miss Scout, why that’s what you want to do. That’s what everybody wants to do when they love like that. They want to get married, they want to kiss and hug and carry on and have babies all the time.” Harper Lee
Love Intensity, Emotional Love, Fierce Affection, Family Bonds, Growing Understanding, Life Purpose
Harper Lee Love Intensity, Emotional Love, Fierce Affection, Family Bonds, Growing Understanding, Life Purpose“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” Harper Lee
Courage Lessons, Historical Challenges, Optimistic Thinking, Courage, Challenges, Optimism
Harper Lee Courage Lessons, Historical Challenges, Optimistic Thinking, Courage, Challenges, Optimism“How could they do it, how could they? I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.” Harper Lee
Injustice, Suffering, Resilience, Anguish, Memory, Vulnerability
Harper Lee Injustice, Suffering, Resilience, Anguish, Memory, Vulnerability“I proved him a liar but John made him look like a fool. All the time Ewell was on the stand I couldn’t dare look at John and keep a straight face. John looked at him as if he were a three-legged chicken or a square egg. Don’t tell me judges don’t try to prejudice juries.” Harper Lee
Justice, Truth, Courtroom, Prejudice, Integrity, Wisdom
Harper Lee Justice, Truth, Courtroom, Prejudice, Integrity, Wisdom“I was proceeding on the dim theory, aside from the innate attractiveness of such words, that if Atticus discovered I had picked them up at school he wouldn’t make me go.” Harper Lee
Language Humor, School Memories, Parental Reactions, Humor, Memories, Reactions
Harper Lee Language Humor, School Memories, Parental Reactions, Humor, Memories, Reactions“Now that I was compelled to think about it, reading was something that just came to me, as learning to fasten the seat of my union suit without looking around, or achieving two bows from a snarl of shoelaces.” Harper Lee
Natural Skill, Reading Instinct, Fast Learning, Life Skills, Union Suit, Bowing Challenge
Harper Lee Natural Skill, Reading Instinct, Fast Learning, Life Skills, Union Suit, Bowing Challenge“It is all fiction, only autobiographical in the sense it is about a small town. None of the incidents in the book ever happened to me as a child. I didn't have an eventful childhood.” Harper Lee
Fiction, Storytelling, Small Town, Imagination, Creativity, Identity
Harper Lee Fiction, Storytelling, Small Town, Imagination, Creativity, Identity“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“There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads – they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.” Harper Lee
Inequality, Justice, Racial Discrimination, Systemic Bias, Societal Flaws, Oppression
Harper Lee Inequality, Justice, Racial Discrimination, Systemic Bias, Societal Flaws, Oppression“I wondered if anybody had ever called her “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life; probably not, as she took offense to routine courtesy. What on earth was her life like? I soon found out.” Harper Lee
Routine Courtesy, Emotional Burden, Social Expectations, Isolation, Family Dynamics, Small Town Life
Harper Lee Routine Courtesy, Emotional Burden, Social Expectations, Isolation, Family Dynamics, Small Town Life“Recorded history’s version does not coincide with the truth, but these are the facts, because they were passed down by word of mouth through the years, and every Maycombian knows them.” Harper Lee
Oral History, Memory Vs Reality, Legacy, History, Memory
Harper Lee Oral History, Memory Vs Reality, Legacy, History, Memory“Autumn was her happiest season. There was an expectancy about its sounds and shapes:.” Harper Lee
Seasonal, Happiness, Anticipation, Nature, Change, Serenity
Harper Lee Seasonal, Happiness, Anticipation, Nature, Change, Serenity“It ain’t honest but it’s mighty helpful to folks. But you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.” Harper Lee
Honesty, Simplicity, Perception, Lifestyle, Independence, Understanding
Harper Lee Honesty, Simplicity, Perception, Lifestyle, Independence, Understanding“Ladies bathed before noon, after their three o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.” Harper Lee
Tradition, Domestic Life, Gender Roles, Time, Appearance, Expectation
Harper Lee Tradition, Domestic Life, Gender Roles, Time, Appearance, Expectation“What happened after that had a dreamlike quality: in a dream I saw the jury return, moving like underwater swimmers, and Judge Taylor’s voice came from far away, and was tiny. I saw something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for, and it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing that the gun was empty.” Harper Lee
Dreamlike State, Legal Drama, Unspoken Loss, Drama, Jury, Loss
Harper Lee Dreamlike State, Legal Drama, Unspoken Loss, Drama, Jury, Loss“Before she dozed off, it occurred to her that for the first time in her life Calpurnia had said “Yes ma’am” and “Miss Scout” to her, forms of address usually reserved for the presence of high company.” Harper Lee
Respect, Formality, Identity, Childhood, Maturity, Social Norms
Harper Lee Respect, Formality, Identity, Childhood, Maturity, Social Norms“It’s just that I’m so afraid of making a mess of being married to the wrong man – the wrong kind for me, I mean. I’m no different from any other woman, and the wrong man would turn me into a screamin’ shrew in record time.” Harper Lee
Fear, Relationships, Self-doubt, Happiness, Independence, Self-preservation
Harper Lee Fear, Relationships, Self-doubt, Happiness, Independence, Self-preservation“So many writers don’t like to write. I like to write, and sometimes I’m afraid I like it too much, because when I get into work, I don’t want to leave it. And as a result, I’ll go for days and days and days without leaving my house.” Harper Lee
Writing Passion, Isolation, Creativity, Dedication, Productivity, Introspection
Harper Lee Writing Passion, Isolation, Creativity, Dedication, Productivity, Introspection