They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.
Harper LeeRead
Jen and I were accustomed to our father's last-will-and-testament diction, and were at times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was beyond our understanding.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the relationship between siblings and their father, emphasizing the learning and understanding of familial responsibilities and values.
In this quote, Harper Lee reflects on the bond between siblings, Jen and the narrator, as they navigate the complexities of their father's will and the nuances of his language. It underscores the importance of family communication and the learning process involved in understanding one's heritage and parental guidance. The humor and familiarity in their interaction reveal the depth of their relationship and their reliance on each other for support.
Themes
FamilyUnderstandingSiblingsCommunicationHeritage
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering, you might quote this to illustrate the importance of understanding family traditions.
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.
Harper LeeRead
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.
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.
Harper LeeRead
Similar quotes
And everything else will then turn out to be unimportant and inessential except this: father, child, and love. And then, looking at the simplest things, we will all say, Could we have not learned this long ago? Has this not always been embedded in everything that is?
Pope John Paul IiRead
I know how sobering and exhausting parenthood is. But the reality is that our children's future depends on us as parents. Because we know that the first years truly last forever.
Rob ReinerRead
I was ever of the opinion, that the honest man who married and brought up a large family, did more service than he who continued single, and only talked of population.
Oliver GoldsmithRead
My mother praised me when I did something good, and then the next moment, she would say, 'Don't float.' She put me in a balloon and then pricked it.
Bhumibol AdulyadejRead
I write a letter to my mother every day, because in that letter, I write down my day. And if I don't write it down, then tomorrow I will forget it and it's gone.
Isabel AllendeRead
I tell the kids that, even in a childhood marked by despair and deprivation, I knew that no matter what happened, I still had my family, or at least the remnants of a family ripped apart by divorce and then glued back together in various odd arrangements through a series of ill- advised remarriages. It was good to know I had a solid foundation.
Bill BrysonRead