Check out the best Harper Lee quotes that explore justice, morality, empathy, courage, and the power of standing up for what is right.
Harper Lee was an acclaimed American novelist, essayist, and literary icon, best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee drew inspiration from her Southern upbringing to explore themes of racial injustice, morality, compassion, and human dignity.
Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird became an instant literary landmark, shaping conversations around civil rights, equality, and ethical responsibility through unforgettable characters like Atticus Finch, Scout Finch, and Boo Radley.
Her writing reflected the deep understanding of human nature, the complexities of society, and the enduring struggle between right and wrong.
Harper Lee’s work is celebrated for their sharp storytelling, emotional depth, and powerful social commentary, making her one of the most influential voices in modern American literature.
Here are the most famous Harper Lee quotes that inspire courage, compassion, and the strength to stand for justice.
Top 10 Harper Lee Quotes
- “Things are never as bad as they seem.” — Harper Lee
- “It’s better to be silent than to be a fool.” — Harper Lee
- “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none.” ― Harper Lee
- “Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.” — Harper Lee
- “People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.” — Harper Lee
- “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” — Harper Lee
- “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” — Harper Lee
- “As you grow up, always tell the truth, do no harm to others, and don’t think you are the most important being on earth.” — Harper Lee
- “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” — Harper Lee
- “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.” — Harper Lee
Best Harper Lee Quotes
- “Things are always better in the morning.” — Harper Lee
- “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” — Harper Le
- “Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.” — Harper Lee
- “You’ve really got to start hitting the books because it’s no joke out here.” — Harper Lee
- “The only way in which all men in America are equal, is in the courtroom.” ― Harper Lee
- “If we followed our feelings all the time, we’d be like cats chasin’ their tails.” ― Harper Lee
- “Don’t you study about other folks’s business till you take care of your own.” — Harper Lee
- “Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking.” ― Harper Lee
- “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” — Harper Lee
- “I have no time to think about other writers. I am too busy with my own problems.” — Harper Lee
- “Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where reason ends.” — Harper Lee
- “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” — Harper Lee
- “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.” — Harper Lee
- “The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that.” — Harper Lee
- “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.” — Harper Lee
Meaningful Quotes From Harper Lee
- “Most people are nice when you finally see them.” — Harper Lee
- “The time your friends need you is when they’re wrong.” — Harper Lee
- “We’re paying the highest tribute you can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It’s that simple.” — Harper Lee
- “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” — Harper Lee
- “I never expected any sort of success with ‘Mockingbird’… I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement.” — Harper Lee
- “It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you.” — Harper Lee
- “She knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted in breaking it.” — Harper Lee
- “This was life in the ’30s. This is the way it was with children in the South. I tried to make it general, the kind of things that might happen to any child.” — Harper Lee
- “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 fightin’ with your head for a change.” — Harper Lee
- “It was something I never expected to – I never expected the book would sell in the first place. I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers.” — Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird Book Quotes From Harper Lee
- “Sometimes it’s better to bend the law a little in special cases.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year. Scout” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “I try to give’em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “People don’t like to have somebody knowing more than they do. It aggravates them.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “You see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “If one went for a walk with no definite purpose in mind, it was correct to believe one’s mind incapable of definite purpose.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “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 faster than adults, and evasion simply muddles ’em.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
- “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.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Conclusion
What are your favorite Harper Lee quotes and Harper Lee sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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