They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.
Harper LeeRead
I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system - that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes a grounded belief in the justice system, perceiving it not as an ideal but as a functional reality.
Harper Lee expresses a pragmatic faith in the justice system and the jury process, suggesting that these institutions operate effectively and are integral to societal order. Rather than viewing them as lofty ideals, she regards them as essential components of everyday life that uphold integrity and justice.
In practice
During a legal seminar discussing the importance of the jury system.
They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.
It's better to be silent than to be a fool.
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.
With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable.
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.
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.
Every man must be content with that glory which he may have at home.
The linguistic clumsiness of tourists and students might be the price we pay for the linguistic genius we displayed as babies, just as the decrepitude of age in the price we pay for the vigor of youth.
The more I think about it, the more there is to be said for the sloth. He sleeps fifteen to eighteen hours a day and is known to have taken forty-eight days to travel four miles. He hangs in the trees after he's dead. But he lives longer than the cheetah.
To choose a hardship for ourselves is our only defense against that hardship. This is what is meant by accepting suffering. Those who, by their very nature, can suffer completely, utterly, have an advantage. That is how we can disarm the power of suffering, make it our own creation, our own choice; submit to it. A justification for suicide.
Communication across the revolutionary divide is inevitably partial.
The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.
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