Big shoes to fill for a little baby
November 20, 2010 3:42 PM Subscribe
I'm setting up a gift for a friend's new baby and I'm stuck for quotes! The kiddo is named Atticus so I want a quote from To Kill A Mockingbird.
Preferably about Atticus and not the one mentioning guns. Something positive. I've not liked any of the quotes coming up in searches and I don't have a copy to hand unfortunately (I can't even grab an ebook from the local libraries).
So, any non-standard quotes about Atticus, maybe mentioning the name, appropriate for a baby gift? I'm probably going to have it stamped on leather but any length will be fine.
Preferably about Atticus and not the one mentioning guns. Something positive. I've not liked any of the quotes coming up in searches and I don't have a copy to hand unfortunately (I can't even grab an ebook from the local libraries).
So, any non-standard quotes about Atticus, maybe mentioning the name, appropriate for a baby gift? I'm probably going to have it stamped on leather but any length will be fine.
Here are two of Atticus' own quotes which I love:
“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.” --Atticus (pg. 30)
“. . . .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.”--Atticus (pg. 105)
About Atticus:
" . . . I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived."
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'."
“We’re the safest folks in the world,” said Miss Maudie. “We’re so rarely called
on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.”
"A little girl came to the cabin door and stood looking at Atticus. Dill said her hair
was a wad of tiny stiff pigtails, each ending in a bright bow. She grinned from ear
to ear and walked toward our father, but she was too small to navigate the steps.
Dill said Atticus went to her, took off his hat, and offered her his finger. She
grabbed it and he eased her down the steps."
And on the silly side but might work for the purpose you want:
“Aunty,” Jem spoke up, “Atticus says you can choose your friends but you sho‘
can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you
acknowledge ‘em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.”
“I’ve seen Atticus pat his foot when there’s fiddlin‘ on the
radio, and he loves pot liquor better’n any man I ever saw— "
"Atticus told me one time that most of this Old Family
stuff’s foolishness because everybody’s family’s just as old as everybody else’s."
posted by bearwife at 4:36 PM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
“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.” --Atticus (pg. 30)
“. . . .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.”--Atticus (pg. 105)
About Atticus:
" . . . I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived."
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'."
“We’re the safest folks in the world,” said Miss Maudie. “We’re so rarely called
on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.”
"A little girl came to the cabin door and stood looking at Atticus. Dill said her hair
was a wad of tiny stiff pigtails, each ending in a bright bow. She grinned from ear
to ear and walked toward our father, but she was too small to navigate the steps.
Dill said Atticus went to her, took off his hat, and offered her his finger. She
grabbed it and he eased her down the steps."
And on the silly side but might work for the purpose you want:
“Aunty,” Jem spoke up, “Atticus says you can choose your friends but you sho‘
can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you
acknowledge ‘em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.”
“I’ve seen Atticus pat his foot when there’s fiddlin‘ on the
radio, and he loves pot liquor better’n any man I ever saw— "
"Atticus told me one time that most of this Old Family
stuff’s foolishness because everybody’s family’s just as old as everybody else’s."
posted by bearwife at 4:36 PM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: "There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you."
"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."
posted by easy, lucky, free at 4:44 PM on November 20, 2010
"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."
posted by easy, lucky, free at 4:44 PM on November 20, 2010
Not a quote - Mrs. Plinth gave me a t-shirt emblazoned with "What would Atticus do?" My answer to that was always, "shoot the dog."
Although not apropos for this occasion, I always enjoyed how he told his neighbor that she looked like a picture (without specifying a picture of what).
posted by plinth at 4:53 PM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Although not apropos for this occasion, I always enjoyed how he told his neighbor that she looked like a picture (without specifying a picture of what).
posted by plinth at 4:53 PM on November 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: "Everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'"
"He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning."
posted by honey-barbara at 6:07 PM on November 20, 2010 [2 favorites]
"He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning."
posted by honey-barbara at 6:07 PM on November 20, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Wow that's going to be quite a name to grow up carrying. My favorite Atticus quote is, "It isn't time to worry yet." It's ALWAYS true, either there's something to be done, in which case worrying is a distraction, or there's nothing to be done, in which case worrying is futile. No matter what, it isn't time to worry yet.
posted by headnsouth at 6:10 PM on November 20, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 6:10 PM on November 20, 2010 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: I've decided to make a mobile as well as get some sort of thing so I marked the three I love the best! Thanks all.
"There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you."
"Everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'"
"It isn't time to worry yet."
posted by geek anachronism at 4:27 AM on December 28, 2010
"There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep 'em all away from you."
"Everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'"
"It isn't time to worry yet."
posted by geek anachronism at 4:27 AM on December 28, 2010
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Always liked this one!
posted by mukade at 4:20 PM on November 20, 2010