Skip to content

Calpurnia Quote by Harper Lee

“It's not necessary to tell all you know.” quote by Harper Lee — Download Open image

“It's not necessary to tell all you know.”

About This Quote

Source Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

Sometimes withholding knowledge is wiser than oversharing.

In simple terms: Know when to stay silent.

Key Takeaway

Practice discretion.

Themes

wisdom communication ethics

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

conflict resolution
teaching
personal relationships

Key Concepts

literature social etiquette

Questions to Reflect On

When is silence more powerful than speech?
What risks come with sharing everything?

A Different Perspective

Silence can be seen as aloofness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2.9 out of 5 (7 ratings)

Calpurnia Funny Inspirational Know Knows Ladylike Love Necessary Necessary Tell Tell Tell Know

More by Harper Lee

“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…

Image

That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.

Image

“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is…

Image

Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…

Image

“folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’…

Image

“...[Summer] was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...”

Image

It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…

Image

I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.

Image

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,…

Image

“To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime…

Image

“Naw, Jem. I think that there is just one kind of folks. Folks." Jen turned and punched his pillow. WHen he settle back his…

Image

“The course of English Literature would have been decidedly different had Mr. Wordsworth owned a power mower.”

Image

Explore all 494 Harper Lee quotes

More Calpurnia quotes

Calpurnia evidently remembered a rainy Sunday when we were both fatherless and teacherless. Let to its own devices, the class tied Eunice Ann Simpson…

Image

She winced, knowing what was to come, "Calpurnia." She closed her eyes again, embarrassed by the extravagant name - a name with which no…

Image

Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.

Jacqueline Kelly

Image

“Lepida, has anyone ever told you that you're a cruel spiteful selfish slut?...You're vicious. You're unprincipled. You mistreat your slaves and abuse your daughter.…

Image

I don't have that many days left," he said as we sat together in the library. "Why would I want to spend them on…

Jacqueline Kelly

Image

“What is your name?" he asked softly. She winced, knowing what was to come, "Calpurnia." She closed her eyes again, embarrassed by the extravagant…

Image

Browse all 7 Calpurnia quotes