--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We’re so rarely called on to be…" description: "\"We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.\" — Harper Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png" --- # We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we… ![“We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png) > “We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.” [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. Atticus embodies moral courage, serving as a model for Christian behavior. **In simple terms:** Atticus shows moral courage. Key Takeaway Emulate Atticus’s integrity. Themes morality courage faith Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary ethical When to use this quote - legal profession - parenting - community service - education Key Concepts ethical leadership literary heroism Questions to Reflect On - Who inspires your moral actions? - Can courage be taught? A Different Perspective Not everyone can act as selflessly as Atticus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atticus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atticus/) [Called Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-christians-590159/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Like Atticus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-atticus-4150557/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Rarely Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarely-called-4157498/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/an-they-chased-him-n-never-could-catch-him-cause-they-didn-t-know/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Poor boy. With a name like Atticus, every word he utters ought to be inspired and wise, spoken with a voice that compels all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brezenoff/poor-boy-with-a-name-like-atticus-every-word-he-utters-ought-to-be/) [Steve Brezenoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brezenoff/) > [“We're the safest folks in the world," said Miss Maudie. "We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/we-re-the-safest-folks-in-the-world-said-miss-maudie-we-re-so-rarely/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-simply-want-to-tell-you-that-there-are-some-men-in-this-world-who/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Now Christianity sounded good at first to the naive convert. Love, peace and charity - what's wrong with that? I'll tell you what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/now-christianity-sounded-good-at-first-to-the-naive-convert-love/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Millions of people profess and call themselves Christians, whom the Apostle Paul would not have called Christians at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/millions-of-people-profess-and-call-themselves-christians-whom-the/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [“The people, especially in the villages, know nothing at all of Christian doctrine; and many pastors are sadly unfit and incompetent to teach. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-people-especially-in-the-villages-know-nothing-at-all-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [People do come up to me quite a lot. I get called all of it. I rarely get called my name; it's usually "Hey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/people-do-come-up-to-me-quite-a-lot-i-get-called-all-of-it-i-rarely/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [Trump's inability to face the truth of his loss to Biden might explain why he has barely faced reporters at all in the closing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelter/trump-s-inability-to-face-the-truth-of-his-loss-to-biden-might/) [Brian Stelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelter/) > [If you never bluff, you'll rarely get called. If you bluff all the time, you'll always get called.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/if-you-never-bluff-you-ll-rarely-get-called-if-you-bluff-all-the-time/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [“The only way in which all men in America are equal, is in the courtroom - Atticus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-only-way-in-which-all-men-in-america-are-equal-is-in-the/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Atticus sat looking at the floor for a long time. 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/) > [“Atticus says you can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-says-you-can-choose-your-friends-but-you-sho-can-t-choose/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [hold your head high and keep those fists down - Atticus Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/hold-your-head-high-and-keep-those-fists-down-atticus-finch/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-was-feeble-he-was-nearly-fifty/) [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 Atticus quotes > [“It was her chaos that made her beautiful. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/it-was-her-chaos-that-made-her-beautiful/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“Atticus adjusted his glasses as he peered down at the blanket. “Hey, is that the book Nellie told us about?” Jake’s eyes flicked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-watson/atticus-adjusted-his-glasses-as-he-peered-down-at-the-blanket-hey-is/) [Jude Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-watson/) > [“She knew she was really sad when she stopped loving the things she loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/she-knew-she-was-really-sad-when-she-stopped-loving-the-things-she/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“She was afraid of heights but she was much more afraid of never flying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/she-was-afraid-of-heights-but-she-was-much-more-afraid-of-never-flying/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“The universe is exactly the size that your soul can encompass. Some people live in extremely small worlds, and some live in a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-hounded-the-iron-druid-chronicles-by-kevin-hearne/the-universe-is-exactly-the-size-that-your-soul-can-encompass-some/) [Atticus Hounded The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-hounded-the-iron-druid-chronicles-by-kevin-hearne/) > [“Art takes time— Monet grew his gardens before he painted them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/art-takes-time-monet-grew-his-gardens-before-he-painted-them/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“She was cool— the whole world seemed to spin around her in smooth jazz.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/she-was-cool-the-whole-world-seemed-to-spin-around-her-in-smooth-jazz/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“Do not fall in love with me, for I will break your heart, long before you realize, you were going to break mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/do-not-fall-in-love-with-me-for-i-will-break-your-heart-long-before/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-was-feeble-he-was-nearly-fifty/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“One day I’ll paint the perfect sunset-- if I can only find the words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/one-day-i-ll-paint-the-perfect-sunset-if-i-can-only-find-the-words/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“A few drinks and the world was hers— she wore her whiskey like a loaded gun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/a-few-drinks-and-the-world-was-hers-she-wore-her-whiskey-like-a/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [hold your head high and keep those fists down - Atticus Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/hold-your-head-high-and-keep-those-fists-down-atticus-finch/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“From the moment I saw her I knew this one was worth the broken heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/from-the-moment-i-saw-her-i-knew-this-one-was-worth-the-broken-heart/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“There are magnets in my bones for that iron in her blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/there-are-magnets-in-my-bones-for-that-iron-in-her-blood/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards." - Atticus Finch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/no-code-mattered-to-her-before-she-broke-it-but-it-came-crashing-down/) [Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingbird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/) [Browse all 178 Atticus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atticus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harper Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christians-but-when-we-are-we-ve-got/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atticus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christians-but-when-we-are-we-ve-got/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/harper-lee-451_atticus_we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christia_2297097.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.” — 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": "We’re so rarely called on to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christians-but-when-we-are-we-ve-got/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/we-re-so-rarely-called-on-to-be-christians-but-when-we-are-we-ve-got/#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 } } ] } ```