When lawyer Atticus Finch is tasked with defending a Black man in 1933 Alabama, for the first time, the single dad to two preteens is forced to put his children through something they won’t understand. For months, they’ll have to endure the misgiving looks and hateful comments from all around town. Never mind the fact that the defendant is innocent. People believe what they want to believe.
Naturally, the central case in To Kill a Mockingbird dampens the mood around the Finches’ home. But through the many dark days, Atticus repeats one line again and again: “It’s not time to worry yet.”
When Jem, Atticus’ son, destroys an old lady’s flowerbed because she ridicules his dad, his sister Scout fears the consequences. “It’s not time to worry yet,” Atticus tells her. And sure enough, Jem survives his apology to Mrs. Dubose.
After Atticus loses the case, his family is outraged. How could the town do this to an innocent man? “It’s not time to worry yet,” Atticus goes. There’s an appeal to be held, and his client is far from dead.
To the book’s characters, each next challenge seems to be worse than the last, but for them as for us, it’s empowering to tack on one little word to a sentence that might otherwise be nothing more than outright denial: “It’s not time to worry yet.”
Don’t ignore harsh realities, but don’t lose your head either. Chances are, you’re not stuck in a guillotine—and it’s not time to worry yet.