Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves.

I don't hafta take his sass

You rarely win, but sometimes you do.

I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.

I try to give'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.

The things that happen to people we never really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets -

Writing is something you'll never learn in any university or at any school. It's something that is within you, and if it isn't there, nothing can put it there.