When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion faster than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em.

This line is spoken by Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s novel *To Kill a Mockingbird* during a conversation about how to deal with children’s questions—particularly Scout’s direct, sometimes uncomfortable inquiries as she tries to make sense of adult behavior and the racial tensions in Maycomb. Atticus’s advice reflects his broader approach to parenting: treating children as morally serious listeners, answering plainly rather than hiding behind euphemism or condescension. The remark fits the novel’s recurring scenes in which Scout and Jem press adults for explanations and are often met with evasions that only increase their confusion.

The speaker urges plain, respectful honesty with children. The point is not to overdramatize explanations or talk down to them, but to respond directly and sincerely. Children, the line suggests, are highly sensitive to adult dodging—half-truths, euphemisms, or strategic silence—and such evasions create confusion rather than protection. The quote reflects a moral stance associated with Harper Lee’s fiction: integrity in speech, trust between generations, and the idea that moral education happens through candid, everyday interactions. It also implies that adults often rationalize evasion as sophistication, while children perceive it as inconsistency.