--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How could they do it, how could they?\" \"I…" description: "\"“How could they do it, how could they?\" \"I don't know, but they did. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/harper-lee-451_children_how-could-they-do-it-how-could-they-i-do_245856.png" --- # How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but… ![“How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but they did. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/harper-lee-451_children_how-could-they-do-it-how-could-they-i-do_245856.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/harper-lee-451_children_how-could-they-do-it-how-could-they-i-do_245856.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e8/harper-lee-451_children_how-could-they-do-it-how-could-they-i-do_245856.png) > ““How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but they did. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep.”” [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. Children’s resilience and curiosity drive repeated attempts, even after setbacks, showing perseverance. **In simple terms:** Kids keep trying despite failures. Key Takeaway Encourage perseverance in others. Themes resilience curiosity perseverance Mood hopeful determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - education - parenting - team projects - innovation Key Concepts psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to keep trying? - How can you balance persistence with adaptability? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on perseverance may ignore the need for strategic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-weep-2455315/) [Did Tonight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-tonight-641056/) [Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) [Harper-lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harper-lee-2/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Ll Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ll-children-2455316/) [Lynching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lynching/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [To-kill-a-mockingbird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/to-kill-a-mockingbird/) [Weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weep/) ## Related quotes > [“I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-don-t-know-but-they-did-it-they-ve-done-it-before-and-they-did-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Atticus---" ...said Jem bleakly. "How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-said-jem-bleakly-how-could-they-do-it-how-could-they-i-don-t/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-couldn-t-go-to-church-and-worship-god-if-i-didn-t-try-to-help-that/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment. Routine contentment was: improving our treehouse that rested between giant twin chinaberry trees in the back yard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/thereafter-the-summer-passed-in-routine-contentment-routine/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I thought she was going to spit in it, which was the only reason anybody in Maycomb held out his hand: it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-thought-she-was-going-to-spit-in-it-which-was-the-only-reason/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Some folks don't like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with 'em, I don't care if they don't like it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/some-folks-don-t-like-the-way-i-live-now-i-could-say-the-hell-with-em/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“That's what I thought, too when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-s-what-i-thought-too-when-i-was-your-age-if-there-s-just-one/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“There are just some kind of men who-who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/there-are-just-some-kind-of-men-who-who-re-so-busy-worrying-about-the/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Of all days Sunday was the day for formal afternoon visiting: ladies wore corsets, men wore coats, children wore shoes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/of-all-days-sunday-was-the-day-for-formal-afternoon-visiting-ladies/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Had her conduct been more friendly toward me, I would have felt sorry for her. She was a pretty little thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/had-her-conduct-been-more-friendly-toward-me-i-would-have-felt-sorry/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [They've done it before and they'll do it again and when they do it -- seems that only the children weep. Good night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/they-ve-done-it-before-and-they-ll-do-it-again-and-when-they-do-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“In other words, all I want to be is the Jane Austen of south Alabama”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/in-other-words-all-i-want-to-be-is-the-jane-austen-of-south-alabama/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Most people are nice when you finally see them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/most-people-are-nice-when-you-finally-see-them/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Maybe he doesn't have anywhere to run off to...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/maybe-he-doesn-t-have-anywhere-to-run-off-to/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Sıfatları çıkarırsan gerçekler kalır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/s-fatlar-kar-rsan-ger-ekler-kal-r/) [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 Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. 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