To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes
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Source: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
"When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake."
"When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em."
Context
We're in Chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird and Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack, teaching him a thing or two about how to talk to kids.
Atticus recognizes that kids are different from adults, but he respects his children—which means no lying to them or avoiding hard truths.
Where you've heard it
Not that we've ever read it (we swear), but we're guessing this line is somewhere in Raising Kids for Dummies.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Giving unsolicited parenting advice can be the worst, but when it's Atticus Finch, we can forgive it.