Harper Lee: Trending quotes (page 6)

“I was taught never to take advantage of anybody who was less fortunate than myself, whether he be less fortunate in brains, wealth, or social position; it meant anybody…”

“In other words, all I want to be is the Jane Austen of south Alabama”

“Long ago, in a burst of friendliness, Aunty and Uncle Jimmy produced a son named Henry…”

“You can pet him, Mr. Arthur. He's asleep…”

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hands of another.”

“I guess it’s like an airplane: they’re the drag and we’re the thrust, together we make the thing fly. Too much of us and we’re nose-heavy, too much of them and we’re tail-heavy—it’s a matter of balance.”

“I didn't know how you were going to do it, but from now on I'll never worry about what'll become of you, son, you'll always have an idea.”

“When stalking one’s prey, it is best to take one’s time. Say nothing, and as sure as eggs he will become curious and emerge.”

“I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it.”

“Nothing is more deadly than a deserted, waiting street.”

“Go away, the old buildings said. There is no place for you here. You are not wanted. We have secrets.”

“A mob's always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know--doesn't say much for them, does it?”

“Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill.”

“What does a bigot do when he meets someone who challenges his opinions? He doesn’t give. He stays rigid. Doesn’t even try to listen, just lashes out.”

“I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society.”

“I can't beat you, I can't join you.”

“That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.”

“You damn morphodite, I'll kill you!”

“It's better to be silent than to be a fool.”