Last month, my blogging sister and good friend Merril Smith tagged me for the Three Quotes in Three Days challenge. (By the way, I love being tagged for these things, so if you ever need a guinea pig, I’m your victim.) I’d been reading these on several other people’s blogs, and I was actually hoping someone would invite me to play. The only thing that was difficult for me was to narrow my favorite quotes down to only three!
So today’s quote happens to be my favorite epigraph. (If you don’t know what an epigraph is, I wrote about it here.) The quote is by British author, Charles Lamb, and it is featured as the epigraph in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The odd thing is that even though this is my favorite epigraph quote, I actually have no idea who Charles Lamb is, and while I have enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird more than once (as well as seeing the movie), it’s not exactly my favorite book of all times. I guess I just like the quote because of its implied innocence versus corruption, and probably also the fact that I’ve worked for or with attorneys for most of my adult life has something to do with it as well.
Anyway, here’s my featured quote for today:
“Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.”
-Charles Lamb
So, tomorrow I’ll be back with a second quote, and today, I nominate Rhonda Blackhurst. Rhonda is a lovely author, and if you don’t already follow her blog, you’re in for a treat if you’ll visit her at http://rhondablackhurst.com/.
Let’s chat: Did you already know what an epigraph was? Do you read epigraphs at the beginning of books, or skip to the first chapter?
Rachel Carrera, Novelist 
I don’t like to admit this, but I think I would have had to look up epigraph, although I have read them.
LOL! Don’t feel bad… before I blogged about them last year, I had no idea what one was. 🙂
I’m glad you’ve taken up the challenge, Rachel! I always read epigraphs at the beginning of a book and wonder how they relate to the story. Sometimes I go back and re-read them while I’m reading the book, or after I finish.
I like your first choice. You know that I love To Kill a Mockingbird, but I did not remember the Lamb quotation.
I assume you’ve looked up Charles Lamb, but if not, he was a poet and essayist, part of the Romantic poets circle of Coleridge and Wordsworth. He and his older sister Mary both suffered from mental illness. I remember reading their Tales from Shakespeare as a child. It was children’s book that told the stories of Shakespeare’s plays.
Did his sister help him write, too? I wonder what kind of mental illness? That’s so sad. That Tales from Shakespeare sounds interesting. I like Shakespeare, too, for the most part. 🙂
I always read the epigraphs. There are some really great ones and the one you chose is not exception.
Thank you! 🙂
ooh, i love this quote too, and must admit, i didn’t know the meaning of epigraph )
Thank you! And before I blogged about it last year, I didn’t know what it meant, either 😉
ha! love that quote Rachel! I wonder, is it meant to create empathy for lawyers?? ❤
Diana xo
Thank you! Yes, I do believe it’s to remind us that lawyers started off innocent. 🙂
Love the quote–and the story To Kill A Mockingbird 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Great quote, Rachel. And may I be the first to ask you if that photo is from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father in the wayback? Bill Bixby?
That’s Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch with his daughter, Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. But I love that you know how much I love classic TV, Mark. 🙂
I just read your third quote and commented on how I typcially end up dropping the ball when I’m tagged. And what do you know? I proved that here, didn’t I? 😦 Thank you for nominating me Rachel! And also sorry I just got to this now. Ugggghh!
LOL! That’s okay, my friend… I know you’ve got some awesome writing going on right now. 🙂
🙂
A graph having a fit?
That’s exactly right, Mr. Carruthers. 😉
Ah young Rachel. I was going to read your comments right now and reply (kept them till last on purpose so that I could reply without pressure) but seem to have over done it taking a bit of sea air. I’ll have a kip and get back to you a little later…fairly knocked me about has this bloody fall!