---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want to hear any words like that…"
description: "\"I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg"
---

#  I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here…

![“I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don't you?' I said not particularly.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg)

> “I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don't you?' I said not particularly.”

[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 stern admonition against using inappropriate language, urging growth into refined behavior.

**In simple terms:** Avoid vulgar speech; aim for refinement.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate respectful communication.

Themes

language behavior growth

Mood

serious instructive

Type

educational ethical

When to use this quote

- school
- family
- public speaking
- online interactions

Key Concepts

social etiquette personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language reflect character?
- What steps help you speak more respectfully?

A Different Perspective

May be overly prescriptive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Hear Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-words/) [Like Scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-scout-304054/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying/) [Saying Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-things/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [“The novelist is like a scout commissioned to go and see what is happening in the depth of the soul. He comes back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/the-novelist-is-like-a-scout-commissioned-to-go-and-see-what-is/)

[Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/)

> [Like Scout and her father in To Kill a Mockingbird, my father would pull me onto his lap each night in our four-room apartment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-trelease/like-scout-and-her-father-in-to-kill-a-mockingbird-my-father-would/)

[Jim Trelease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-trelease/)

> [I was sort of like a scout for Eric Bischoff if I saw people who had the talent. Sometimes I wouldn't bring people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-dallas-page/i-was-sort-of-like-a-scout-for-eric-bischoff-if-i-saw-people-who-had/)

[Diamond Dallas Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-dallas-page/)

> [“A novelist is like a scout commissioned to go and see what is happening in the depth of the soul. He comes back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/a-novelist-is-like-a-scout-commissioned-to-go-and-see-what-is/)

[Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/)

> [I'd like to be a scout, go watch the games, and try and find a diamond in the rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-cole/i-d-like-to-be-a-scout-go-watch-the-games-and-try-and-find-a-diamond/)

[Ashley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-cole/)

> [“You'll say things all wrong but they'll at once become American ways of saying things. You won't know shit but it'll right away become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-ll-say-things-all-wrong-but-they-ll-at-once-become-american-ways/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I always try to find things worth saying, things that are supposed to be said instead of being contrived. I do a ton of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grammer/i-always-try-to-find-things-worth-saying-things-that-are-supposed-to/)

[Andy Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grammer/)

> [I think my way of being "funny" is just saying things that people think but have learned not to say, whereas, I haven't learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/i-think-my-way-of-being-funny-is-just-saying-things-that-people-think/)

[Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/)

> [Words are good for saying what things are, but sometimes they don't function for what things aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/words-are-good-for-saying-what-things-are-but-sometimes-they-don-t/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [In the U.S., it's like, you start with a great script, and then on set - not everybody, but definitely in the Apatow group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/in-the-u-s-it-s-like-you-start-with-a-great-script-and-then-on-set/)

[Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/)

> [When I stay quiet, it doesn't mean I've nothing to say. It means I don't think you're ready to hear my words. Sometimes we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-stay-quiet-it-doesn-t-mean-i-ve-nothing-to-say-it-means-i-don/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning of underlying words.There are only a few people who recognize the silence beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/it-has-struck-me-that-people-seldom-listen-to-the-meaning-of/)

[Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/)

> [“They're worth so much more after I'm a goner and maybe then you'll hear the words i been singing. Funny when you're dead how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-band-perrry/they-re-worth-so-much-more-after-i-m-a-goner-and-maybe-then-you-ll/)

[The Band Perrry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-band-perrry/)

> [You are always in my mind when I think,You are always in my memories when I dream,You are always in the vision what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-always-in-my-mind-when-i-think-you-are-always-in-my-memories/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It is strange to hear my words Read back to me. I don't think I wrote them To have them ever leave the page.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/it-is-strange-to-hear-my-words-read-back-to-me-i-don-t-think-i-wrote/)

[Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/)

## 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 Growing up quotes

> [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [We all got driven out of Manhattan. It was a very conducive place for artists when I was growing up, and now it's definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/we-all-got-driven-out-of-manhattan-it-was-a-very-conducive-place-for/)

[Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/)

> [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/)

[David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/)

> [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wasn't a kid growing up thinking, 'One day I'll get an Oscar and make a speech.' That wasn't on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/i-wasn-t-a-kid-growing-up-thinking-one-day-i-ll-get-an-oscar-and-make/)

[Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/)

> [I was young, but to me that was underground music. I had never heard anything like Venom or any of that stuff growing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pajo/i-was-young-but-to-me-that-was-underground-music-i-had-never-heard/)

[David Pajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pajo/)

> [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/)

[Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/)

> [How am I supposed to make life choices when I still use my fingers to count and sing the whole alphabet to see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-am-i-supposed-to-make-life-choices-when-i-still-use-my-fingers-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Grow up? Get herself straightened out? Her mind reeled from the verbal battering. No matter what she did, her father would tell her she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/grow-up-get-herself-straightened-out-her-mind-reeled-from-the-verbal/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

[Browse all 7,738 Growing up quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don't you?' I said not particularly.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harper Lee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that-while-i-m-here-scout-you-ll/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Growing up"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that-while-i-m-here-scout-you-ll/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/harper-lee-451_growing-up_i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that_2688359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around…” — Harper Lee",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Harper Lee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't want to hear any...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that-while-i-m-here-scout-you-ll/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-don-t-want-to-hear-any-words-like-that-while-i-m-here-scout-you-ll/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
