... and how to stand up for what's right.
By Estee Kahn and Kim Hays — Written on Feb 19, 2016
Author Harper Lee stirred the very soul of our country with the release of her book To Kill A Mockingbird in 1961 — as the Civil Rights Movement forced into view the shameful discrimination against people of color.
Ever since then, the book has become required reading for high-schoolers and college students across America, and readers even voted To Kill A Mockingbird the most inspirational book of all time, beating out the Bible. (Her second book, Go Set A Watchman, was released in 2015 and is considered a first draft of Mockingbird.)
Harper Lee showed us through the eyes of a child, Scout, how that era affected regular folks in the Deep South. And we learned how to be a great human through the wisdom and bravery of her father Atticus Finch.
Here's a sampling of what we learned — and will never forget:
"Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another) ...There are just some kind of men ... 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."
"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."
"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win but sometimes you do."
"Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts."
"Hold your head high and keep those fists down."
"Love is the only thing in this world that is unequivocal."
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."
"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."
"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for."
If you're searching for the best quotes and memes to share with the people you love (or just want to feel inspired yourself) ... look no further! From the sweetest love quotes, inspirational sayings, and hilarious relationship truths, we've got you covered.
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