In Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch says, "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins."

Verified by Lenz · Jun 1, 2026

The Short Version

The line is well supported as a quotation from Harper Lee’s novel and is correctly attributed to Atticus Finch. Multiple independent references reproduce the wording, and stronger sources identify it as appearing in the book itself, commonly in Chapter 23. The main contrary claim comes from low-reliability user-generated content and is not supported by better evidence.

Caveats

Some quote sites and user-generated databases contain attribution errors or poor metadata, so they should not be relied on alone.
Chapter numbering is consistent across sources, but page numbers can vary by edition.
A separate claim that the line appears in the film does not negate its presence in the novel.

The Receipts

To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
National Constitution CenterJul 11, 1960
The Overcoming of Prejudice in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
Truth UnitesMar 7, 2016
In our courts, when it's a white man's word against ... - All Great Quotes
All Great Quotes
In our courts, when it's a white man's word aga... - Goodreads
Goodreads
There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads ...
Shmoop
Quotes - To Kill a Mockingbird - Book Analysis
Book Analysis
To Kill a Mockingbird Race Quotes Page 1 - Shmoop
Shmoop
The 42 Best Atticus Finch Quotes
Bookroo
To Kill A Mockingbird Quote Analysis - 864 Words - Cram
Cram
To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes -
JGDB

+ 9 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Atticus FinchHarper LeeTo Kill A Mockingbird