Atticus Finch

"Step not into the sunlight until you have learned to walk in darkness."

"Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but we have this system and if you believe in it, you must accept the verdict of the jury and the judgment of the court."

"The simple truth is, we've got to believe in ourselves, or nobody will."

"It's not time to worry yet."

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather an assessment that something else is more important than fear."

"People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for."

"As a lawyer and as a person, I believe it's important to fight for what you believe in."

"I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is."

"When you finally realize the worth of honest work, you have found your life."

"We're the same folks, just wearing different skins."

"The one thing that doesn't crack under pressure is a man's word."

"You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

"There's a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep them all away from you. That's never possible."

"Until a man can point to a principle he's willing to die for, he hasn't lived."

"The practice of law is not a game, and a lawyer must never forget he is dealing with human lives."

"Simply because we were licked is no sign we should lay down and quit."

"Every lawyer has a responsibility to his client and to the law, but sometimes these are in conflict."

"What child hasn't looked at an older person and wondered what they're thinking?"

"To be impartial is the highest calling of a judge and jury alike."

"I am a man who cannot lie to himself or others about the truth."

"Maturity is when you stop trying to change others and start accepting them as they are."

"A man's character is what he does when no one is watching."

"The measure of a person is not in how they succeed, but in how they behave when faced with failure."

"You cannot understand another until you have walked in their shoes and felt what they feel."

"It is often the quiet ones who possess the greatest strength of character."

"Age is no barrier to living a full and meaningful life."

"The law is meant to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty without cause."

"What you do is what matters, not what you say you'll do."

"The greatest gift a parent can give a child is the truth, however difficult."

"Reading opens doors to worlds you never knew existed."