They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.
Harper LeeRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Friends are chosen, but family is given and is always part of you, regardless of your relationship with them.
This quote highlights the idea that while we have the freedom to select our friends, our family is something we do not choose. No matter how we perceive our family members, they will always be a part of us, and rejecting or ignoring them can come off as foolish, as the bonds of family are intrinsic and unbreakable.
Themes
FriendsFamilyRelationshipsAcknowledgmentBonds
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of family ties at a reunion.
More from Harper Lee
All quotes →It's better to be silent than to be a fool.
Harper LeeRead
Don’t talk like that, Dill,” said Aunt Alexandra. “It’s not becoming to a child. It’s – cynical.” “I ain’t cynical, Miss Alexandra. Tellin’ the truth’s not cynical, is it?” “The way you tell it, it is.
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With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable.
Harper LeeRead
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.
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We're paying the highest tribute you can pay a man. We trust him to do right. It's that simple.
Harper LeeRead
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