Quotations from To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a mystery crime drama film about a Depression-era lawyer in the south as he defends a black man against a rape charge. Nevertheless, no matter how intersting that is, it is also a secondary story to the lawyer's children. The storycovers a three year period of Scout and jem as they grow up in Alabama during the 1930s and are exposed to racism and other prejudices. After the trial is over due to the black man being killed trying to escape, things seemed to only get worse for the family. They become vilified in the racist town and even the children are also murdered because of it. Directed by Robert Mulligan. Starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, and Frank Overton. Based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an enormously popular film. The film won three Oscar awards, including Best Actor (Peck) and Best Writing. It is constantly ranked as one of the greatest movies of all time and the character Atticus Finch (the lawyer) is often named as the greatest movie hero of the 20th century. The movie is preserved within the National Film Registry. Gregory Peck is also known best for his role in the film. Continue reading for some quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jem: Atticus says cheating a black man is ten times worse than cheating a white.
Scout: May I see your watch? "To Atticus, My Beloved Husband." Atticus, Jem says this watch is gonna belong to him some day.
Atticus Finch: That's right.
Scout: Why?
Atticus Finch: Well, it's customary for the boy to have his father's watch. Scout: What are you gonna give me?
Atticus Finch: Well, I don't know that I have much else of value that belongs to me... But there's a pearl necklace; there's a ring that belonged to your mother. And I've put them away, and they're to be yours.
Tom Robinson: Looks like she didn't have nobody to help her. I felt right sorry for her. She seemed...
Prosecutor: You felt sorry for her? A white woman? You felt sorry for her?
Bob Ewell: I'm real sorry they picked you to defend that nigger that raped my Mayella. I don't know why I didn't kill him myself instead of goin' to the sheriff. That would have saved you and the sheriff and the taxpayers lots of trouble...
Older Scout: [narrating] Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fightin' any more. I was far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be. I soon forgot... Cecil Jacobs *made* me forget.
Older Scout: [narrating] By October, things had settled down again. I still looked for Boo every time I went by the Radley place. This night my mind was filled with Halloween - there was to be a pageant representing our county's agricultural products; I was to be a ham. Jem said he would escort me to the school auditorium. Thus began our longest journey together.
Older Scout: [narrating] 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 knife, and our lives.
[about Jem]
Scout: You can pet him, Mr. Arthur. He's asleep. Couldn't if he was awake, though; he wouldn't let you. Go ahead.
Sheriff Heck Tate: Didn't you know your daddy's the best shot in this county?
Atticus Finch: If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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.
Next: Tom Jones
More 1960s movie quotes