a mockingbird,Scout asks Miss Maudie to confirm that. Miss Maudie's analysis speaks for itself: to do harm upon an innocent is evil. This sentiment most obviously relates to the wrongly persecuted Tom, who is not only innocent of the crime pinned upon him but also a good man.

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. (Chapter 3)

This advice from Atticus relates to much of Sout's development over the story. As a small child, she harbors many simplistic notions about the people in her life. To use a few examples, she assumes Miss Fisher is a mean person because of her harshness, Aunt Alexandra is a harpy because of her bossing everyone around the house, and Boo Radley is a ghoulish murderer because of what she's heard about him. However, when she sees Miss Fisher weeping after class she realizes the young woman is insecure and a stranger unaccustomed to the town's social mores. When Aunt Alexandra covers at the tea party and when it turns out Boo Radley is not a monster after all, Scout finally allows the lesson to sink in.

You know something, Scout? I've got it all figured out, now. I've thought about it a lot lately and I've got it figured out. There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes. (Chapter 23)

These lines come from Jem. Not much older than Scout, he is trying to make sense of the prejudice in the Maycomb social structure. These lines are not meant to make him seem unsympathetic; rather, they reflect how racism and class snobbery are taught rather than inherent.

Scout's response would also make a fine quote on its own:

Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks. (Chapter 23)

This represents Scout's view of the world, taken from her lessons from Atticus. Despite class and racial differences, everyone shares the same humanity. People can be cruel or kind, no matter from what walk of life they originate.

Here are three quotes with explanations of significance to get you started, as well as some tips for finding more quotes. Chapter numbers are provided as page numbers vary from edition to edition.

Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. (chapter 1)

This passage introduces the myth of Boo Radley. The adult Scout is providing the reader with background information, both about the town of Maycomb in which they live, where such attitudes of fear flourish, and with an introduction to one of the most important characters in the book.

Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew. (chapter 11)

Atticus is the speaker of these words, and he is explaining to Jem why he admires Mrs. Dubose just a few minutes after she has died. Mrs. Dubose was addicted to morphine, a painkiller, and when she felt death would soon arrive, she decided to wean herself off of the medicine. This act of courage impresses Atticus, whose ideas about courage have more to do with morality than with bravery in the face of danger.

“So it took an eight-year-old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it?” said Atticus. “That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children… you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough.” (chapter 16)

This passage is also spoken by Atticus, and he is discussing the incident at the jail with the mob. At the jail, Scout inadvertantly appealed to the humanity of the men who had gathered to lynch Tom Robinson. Though the suggestion that children be police might be tongue-in-cheek, the spirit of Atticus's comment is truthful; children have a way of reminding grown-ups about the important things, like Scout did at the jail.

One easy way to find quotes is to make note of them as you're reading the text for the first time. When looking for quotes, it is often a good idea to read the work of literature with a pen or highlighter in hand. This way, when a quote jumps out as meaningful to you, you can mark it right away. If you are looking for quotes later, think of a literary term first; that way, you know you are looking for passages that relate to characterization or irony or whatever term you choose.