Important Quotes

·         "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

This line introduces the main metaphor in the novel, the comparison between a mockingbird and an innocent person.

·         “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.”

This quote is an example of Atticus trying to help Scout and the readers look from another person’s view point. He encourages his children to empathise with and understand others.

·         “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

Harper Lee tries to emphasise the importance of reading through a number of ways, but this line truly proves how crucial she believes reading is.

·         “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”

This quote introduces the topic of how people avoid unpleasantness in life and often try to turn away from issues they don’t want to think about. People are ‘blind and deaf’ towards issues they don’t want to deal with.

·         “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.”

Lee’s message is that doing what you think is right isn’t always easy but it’s the only way you can live with yourself.

·         “I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.”

No matter how many times we try to divide humanity we are all still just human beings and we should all be treated the same.

·         “Atticus, he was real nice."

"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”

When you finally see people without your prejudice you see that people are just people.

·         “Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts.”

Lee is saying don’t always believe what you hear. When listening to gossip if you take away all the exaggeration you will be left with what really happened.

·         “Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

Courage is the ability to face your fears and stick up for what you believe even if others think your ideas are pointless.

·         “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, he is trash.”

If you don’t treat other people with respect and equality, then you are not a decent person. This is also true if you use your advantages against others.