Top 10 Quotes From Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series has brought fun and joy to both adults and kids. One funny and enjoyable part about Harry Potter are the quotes that fill the pages. Whether they are Dumbledore’s wise sayings, or Harry’s sarcastic comebacks, or even Snape’s cold insults, they are a big part of the series, books and films alike.

I started reading Harry Potter when I was nine years old, and at first I thought it was boring and uneventful. However, once I continued reading, I absolutely loved it. I watched the films after I read each book, the exception being Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and I thought, and still think, that the books do so much better at explaining. One of my favourite parts about the series were the quotes. Once I’d read one, I’d keep reading, but then when I find out the true meaning, I would go back to the quote and reread it. I think all the quotes are well written, and they have a lot of meaning to them. Here are some of the best quotes, in my opinion, and why I really like them.

1. “It does not due to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 12

In this chapter, Dumbledore tells Harry about the Mirror of Erised, and lets him know that dreaming, instead of living, will get him nowhere. Harry is desperate to see his family, and keeps coming back until Dumbledore makes an appearance. Harry learns that men who believe in the images that the mirror shows them will eventually perish as they will do anything for those visions to come true, and that is what Dumbledore is trying to help Harry stay away from. This quote is important to me because sometimes I find that I drift off in my head, and then when a significant amount of time has passed, I would come out and momentarily forget what I was doing, like taking a shower. I really like this quote because it is one of the first wise quotes from Dumbledore that I liked, and it made me wonder, what does he mean by this? Now, I think that Dumbledore means that we can’t live on dreams alone: we still have to go about our everyday lives.

2. “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 14

In Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron are hiding in the corner of Hagrid’s cabin, witnessing Dumbledore being taken away by the Ministry. Dumbledore, though not being able to see them, seems to know that they were there. This helps Harry when he goes into the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore sent Fawkes, along with the Sorting Hat, into the chamber and ultimately helped Harry defeat Tom Riddle. Here’s another quote from Dumbledore that I liked. First, Fawkes is one of my favourite magical  creatures, and because Dumbledore helps Harry through Fawkes, it makes this quote seem even more magical and psychic. 

3. “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” – Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27

This quote refers to Bartemius Crouch Sr. because of how he treats Winky. Winky was his loyal house elf, and because she made one small mistake, she was given clothes and a life she did not want. Hermione was revolted by how the older, stern man was treating his servant. Sirius acknowledged that she was right about her beliefs that they were living creatures too, and therefore should be treated with kindness. This quote has helped me determine whether a person is kind or not. I watch how they treat everyone around them, from younger kids to older, more superior people, and from this I know whether I should befriend them or not. This lesson is important to me because it taught me how to choose my friends, and how I can be looked upon as a nicer person. 

4. “Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 17

In this wise saying from the one and only Dumbledore, he explains why they should not call Voldemort ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ or ‘You Know Who’ any longer. If they continuously fear him to the point they can’t even say his name, they will keep being frightened of him, and the situation will just get worse. This quote made me laugh because of the scenario it was in. Harry’s parents had been killed hours earlier, and here Dumbledore was, talking about sherbet lemons and why they should call Voldemort by his name. But I won’t deny it: what he says is clever and true. For me, I am scared of insects, and at one point the word ‘insects’ made me disgusted and I would run in the opposite direction of the creature. Now, though I am still scared of them, I have learned to ignore what I thought of the word ‘insect’ so that I would fear them less. This is what I have learned from Dumbledore!

5. “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery.” – Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 16

In Philosopher’s Stone, Hermione shows that she is a true friend. Even though they despised her at the beginning, she came through and showed that there is more to her than just books and being smart. She reveals that friendship and bravery are always more important than just being clever and reading a bunch of books. This is also when she saves Ron and sends an owl to Dumbledore, leading to Harry’s rescue. This quote is one of my favourites because I really like Hermione’s character, and I like reading as well. At first, I thought of Hermione as a know-it-all and a show-off, but after she spoke these words, I immediately respected her. I never would have thought that books and academic studies would be surpassed by anything.

6. “Every human life is the same, and worth saving.” – Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry Potter and the Deathly  Hallows, Chapter 22

Kingsley, in this quote, is right. Even Death Eaters are human, regardless of what we want to believe. Some, like Narcissa, have a sprinkling of good inside them, whereas others, the ones truly loyal to Voldemort, have nothing. The main point is, good and bad people are worth saving because they are the same and they are all human. I like this quote, even though I don’t have a connection with it other than treating everyone with kindness, no matter what they look like or act like. 

7. “There’s no need to call me ‘sir’, Professor.” – Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 9

When Harry deflects a jinx that Snape throws at him out loud, Snape “kindly” reminds him that it is supposed to be a non-verbal spell. Wow, Harry. So cheeky and sarcastic. This is one good comeback when Snape comes and yells at you. This is one of my favourite quotes because it is not all that serious, and even though I like Snape, I have to say that this retort is really good. Doesn’t matter that it earned Harry a detention on his first day… 

8. “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37

This is all true. It doesn’t matter if you act, speak, or look differently if we are all willing to accept each other. This was because after Cedric was killed, and Dumbledore was making a speech to all three schools. He wanted them to be friendly to each other and accept that they were all human, even though they are all different. There are people I know that speak and act differently, but I still treat them kindly. Because what they look like doesn’t matter; they could look totally different and still have the biggest heart ever. That’s why I’ve learned not to judge a book by its cover. 

9. “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37

Dumbledore seems to have many wise quotes. Again, this was during Dumbledore’s speech after the third task, a tribute to Cedric. He means that if we are united, we will be strong, but if we are divided, we will be just as weak. An example of this is when I play sports. I find that it’s easier to work with a team than go 1-v-1 against someone because then I have backup and we might have a better chance to win whereas if I go on my own, my chances of losing are higher. The same goes with projects. With a partner or a group, we do better and we finish faster as well because we divide the work and get it done as a team. I’ve learned that it’s basically saying that, along with Quote no.8, that they could be stronger if all three schools united together. However, with Karkaroff as the head of Durmstrang, he doesn’t seem too willing to follow this saying…… 

10. “I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.’” – Rubeus Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 24

Hagrid makes a very valuable point. Being taller than everyone else in his class, he will feel like he doesn’t fit in. However, he uses this saying from his father and learns to keep his head up, not caring what other people say about him. I like this quote because it talks about not being ashamed of who you are, and if someone doesn’t like how you are? Too bad. It’s important to me because I’ve learned that I don’t need to look the best or be the smartest to be seen as good. I can just be myself and try my hardest in whatever I do.