What quotes from Harry Potter have you remembered, ten years later? Here are just a few of our favorites!
When you’ve read the books as many times as we have, there are quotes that definitely stick out to fans. Whether it’s because they’re insightful quotes that gave us direction as much as it helped Harry, quotes that helped us find out more about ourselves, or quotes that gave us something to remember, everyone has a favorite.
For a book lover, quotes tell us who we are. Our favorite quotes show other people what we love, As this is my first post on Wizards and Whatnot, I decided to share what I think are the five best Harry Potter quotes that JK Rowling in her seven book tenure. These won’t include Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Those deserve posts all on their own.
This will be a post celebrating the amazing quotes of what JK Rowling spread unto us. Happiness, wisdom, kindness, love, and magic.
Quotes
"“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”"
When looking at this quote, we all know it’s the amazing Dumbledore who says it. Harry finds the Mirror of Erised and is amazed by its ability to show him exactly what he’s always wanted. Soon, Dumbledore finds him looking at it, and asks what he sees, and then says this quote (after saying he saw him with socks)
This is a quote that should definitely be put in the “insightful” column. Dumbledore often is the center of wisdom and advice for Harry, and for much of the fandom. It’s not surprising that many of these quotes will most likely be from him.
"“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”"
This is the quote for every fan. The. Quote. When we read books, when we watch the movies, when we read the Pottermore history, we’re still making up the world inside our head. It just happens to be the world for more than at least millions of other people. And how many times have Muggles, no-Majs, “not fans” said come on! It’s just a book!
It’s more than a book — it’s everything. And to be told it’s only a book devalues everything we’ve learned because of it! We’ve learned how to be kind to others, especially those who are different than we are. We’ve learned how to be brave, nice, strong, cunning. The houses that we’ve taken multiple quizzes to sort ourselves into are a part of our identity.
This entire world made up of years of knowledge and building to where it is today may just be “in our heads” but it’s so true, whether or not we have people saying “it’s just a book”!
"“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.”"
Once again, an insightful quote from Dumbledore. There are a lot of themes in Harry Potter, and many of them get darker as the books grow with the audience. But one that never leaves, is the idea of love. In this, Dumbledore is saying not to worry about his parents, but to actually pity Voldemort, someone who lived without love.
It’s an odd quote, but it’s a smart one. It’s hard to pity the people you don’t like, but sometimes they need it
"“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”"
This quote reminds us of the angel and the devil on our shoulder. This is when Harry is struggling with his inner demon (quite literally!) and Sirus explains this to him. Given that he’s from a family that also has Bellatrix Lestrange in the mix, I’m sure that this applies to him as much as anyone as well.
It also reminds us that we can be or do anything depending on what we listen to. If we listen to our heart, and our good side, or if we listen to whatever our dark side is. As we grow older, and rely less on people to tell us what to do, this statement becomes more and more truthful.
"Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
This is not a quote from the books but from the author herself! At the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, JK Rowling said this very important statement to remind everyone that just because this was the last movie, the magic wasn’t over. And she’s been correct. With Cursed Child and now more Fantastic Beasts movies coming up. Not only Hogwarts, but the entire Wizarding World has been there to welcome us back whenever we should need it.
These are only a few of the many quotes that Harry Potter holds to lead us through our lives. Whether to love each other or to always be welcomed back, the world JK Rowling built is nothing if not full of things to live by.