--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common." description: "\"“Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.”\" — Harper Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/harper-lee-451_nigger_don-t-say-nigger-scout-that-s-common-873_873024.png" --- # Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common. ![“Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/harper-lee-451_nigger_don-t-say-nigger-scout-that-s-common-873_873024.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/harper-lee-451_nigger_don-t-say-nigger-scout-that-s-common-873_873024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/798/harper-lee-451_nigger_don-t-say-nigger-scout-that-s-common-873_873024.png) > ““Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.”” [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child confronts racial slur, exposing normalized prejudice in society. **In simple terms:** Children hear harmful language as normal. Key Takeaway Challenge and change racist language. Themes racism childhood language Mood serious empathetic Type social educational When to use this quote - school education - parental guidance - community dialogue Key Concepts social conditioning racial slur Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach children empathy? - What actions confront systemic racism? A Different Perspective Changing language alone isn’t enough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nigger/) [Nigger Scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nigger-scout-972462/) [Say Nigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-nigger-972463/) [Scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scout/) [Scout Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scout-common-972464/) ## Related quotes > [“Do you defend niggers, Atticus?" I asked him that evening. "Of course I do. 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Atticus, he was real nice. . . .”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/when-they-finally-saw-him-why-he-hadn-t-done-any-of-those-things/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I was too surprised to cry. I crept from Jem’s room and shut the door softly, lest undue noise set him off again. Suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-was-too-surprised-to-cry-i-crept-from-jem-s-room-and-shut-the-door/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The sixth grade seemed to please him from the beginning: he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me - he tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-sixth-grade-seemed-to-please-him-from-the-beginning-he-went/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I found myself wondering what life would be if Jem were different, even from what he was now; what I would do if Atticus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-found-myself-wondering-what-life-would-be-if-jem-were-different/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. 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Finally he raised his head. “Scout,” he said, “Mr. Ewell fell on his knife.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-sat-looking-at-the-floor-for-a-long-time-finally-he-raised/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Scout," said Atticus, "When summer comes you'll you'll have to keep your head about far worse things…it's not fair for you and Jem, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/scout-said-atticus-when-summer-comes-you-ll-you-ll-have-to-keep-your/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Naw, Jem. I think that there is just one kind of folks. Folks." Jen turned and punched his pillow. WHen he settle back his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/naw-jem-i-think-that-there-is-just-one-kind-of-folks-folks-jen-turned/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-proves-something-that-a-gang-of-wild-animals-can-be-stopped/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wanted-you-to-see-something-about-her-i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“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’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/folks-don-t-like-to-have-somebody-around-knowin-more-than-they-do-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [ “...\[Summer\] was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/summer-was-a-thousand-colors-in-a-parched-landscape/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wonder-how-much-of-the-day-i-spend-just-callin-after-you/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/writing-is-something-you-ll-never-learn-in-any-university-or-at-any/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/to-begin-with-this-case-should-never-have-come-to-trial-the-state-has/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Naw, Jem. I think that there is just one kind of folks. Folks." Jen turned and punched his pillow. WHen he settle back his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/naw-jem-i-think-that-there-is-just-one-kind-of-folks-folks-jen-turned/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The course of English Literature would have been decidedly different had Mr. Wordsworth owned a power mower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-course-of-english-literature-would-have-been-decidedly-different/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I would like to be the chronicler of something that I think is going down the drain very swiftly, and that is small-town, middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-would-like-to-be-the-chronicler-of-something-that-i-think-is-going/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The gum looked fresh. I sniffed it and it smelled all right. I licked it and waited for a while. When I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-gum-looked-fresh-i-sniffed-it-and-it-smelled-all-right-i-licked/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-just-thought-you-d-like-to-know-i-can-read-you-got-anything-needs/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) [Explore all 494 Harper Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More Nigger quotes > [Nigger Money talks trust me I know what I'm saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/nigger-money-talks-trust-me-i-know-what-i-m-saying/) [Trunxbeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trunxbeats/) > [“Brian darling, I’m really not such an idiot that I don’t realize that if a man calls me a nigger it’s his fault the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/brian-darling-i-m-really-not-such-an-idiot-that-i-don-t-realize-that/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“He never denied it. He never did anything. He never acted like either a nigger or a white man. That was it. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-never-denied-it-he-never-did-anything-he-never-acted-like-either-a/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Why was "nigger" bleeped out? I mean, "nigger" is a word that exists. People use it. It is part of America. It has caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/why-was-nigger-bleeped-out-i-mean-nigger-is-a-word-that-exists-people/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“Dear Momma―Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/dear-momma-wherever-you-are-if-ever-you-hear-the-word-nigger-again/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [“Both Richard and I sat silent and watched Jennifer Lee . She came across the room and over to us and swept our chess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-brown/both-richard-and-i-sat-silent-and-watched-jennifer-lee-she-came/) [Cecil Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-brown/) > [“Stagolee was, undoubtedly and without question, the baddest nigger that ever lived. Stagolee was so bad that the flies wouldn't even fly around his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/stagolee-was-undoubtedly-and-without-question-the-baddest-nigger-that/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [“Nigger-eye Berries cast dark Hooks -- Black sweet blood mouthfuls, Shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/nigger-eye-berries-cast-dark-hooks-black-sweet-blood-mouthfuls-shadows/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“Beloved, there is something black folk fear, whether you can see it or not, whether some of us black folk will say it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/beloved-there-is-something-black-folk-fear-whether-you-can-see-it-or/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“I Ain't Got No Quarrel With The VietCong...No VietCong Ever Called Me Nigger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ain-t-got-no-quarrel-with-the-vietcong-no-vietcong-ever-called-me/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“it was worth half-cent to kill a "nigger", and a half-cent to bury one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/it-was-worth-half-cent-to-kill-a-nigger-and-a-half-cent-to-bury-one/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. 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You gotta twerk a little It didn't work to me, Now turn back and make a try Now pick it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wait-a-minute-motherfucker-you-gotta-twerk-a-little-it-didn-t-work-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 87 Nigger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nigger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don’t say nigger, Scout. 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