20+ To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes That'll Make You See The World Differently

Whether you read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school or discovered it as an adult, it likely didn’t take long for it to become clear why this Southern Gothic novel has captured the minds and hearts of readers for generations. In fact, since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s beloved book has been flying off the shelves of bookstores and libraries. With strong characters like Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, her brother Jem, their father — lawyer Atticus Finch — and their mysterious neighbor, the reclusive Arthur “Boo” Radley, people can’t help but be drawn to the residents of the fictional small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Although decades have passed, To Kill a Mockingbird quotes remain as relevant as ever.

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And, truly, everything that takes place in the tome deserves to be treasured. Within the compelling narrative, there are life lessons about courage, honesty, and resilience that make specific passages particularly well-loved. So, need to recalibrate your perspective of human nature? You came to the right place, friend. Here are some of the most thought-provoking quotes from to To Kill a Mockingbird by Atticus, Scout, and others.

Looking for more quotes from your favorite books? Check out our quotes pages from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dr. Seuss.

Best To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes

1. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” — Atticus Finch
2. “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” — Scout Finch
3. “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 see it through no matter what.” — Atticus Finch
4. “Atticus says you can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ’em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.” — Jem Finch
5. “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 Finch
6. “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
7. “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country, our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts, all men are created equal.” — Atticus Finch
8. “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” — Scout Finch
9. “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 Finch
10. “People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.” — Miss Maudie
11. “One time Atticus said you never really knew a man until you stood in his shoes and walked around in them.” — Scout Finch
12. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” — Atticus Finch
13. “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 Finch
14. “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions… 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 Finch
15. “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal — there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States or the humblest J.P. court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve.” — Atticus Finch
16. “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop… somehow it was hotter then… bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square.” — Harper Lee
17. “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: We had given him nothing, and it made me sad.” — Scout Finch
18. “He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.” — Scout Finch
19. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” — Miss Maudie
20. “Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open.” — Atticus Finch
21. “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends, and this is still our home.” — Atticus Finch
22. “Are you proud of yourself tonight that you have insulted a total stranger whose circumstances you know nothing about?” — Atticus Finch
23. “People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.” — Judge Taylor
24. “By then he did not have to tell me. Just as the birds know where to go when it rains, I know when there is trouble in our street.” — Scout Finch