11 Harry Potter Quotes About Being Yourself

Harry Potter, at the root, is a story about being true to yourself; how just because some people may think you're strange, everything is relative. At the start, Harry is a boy who is constantly shut down and told he's worthless. But then, a half-giant knocks his door down and introduces him to a world where, not only is he surrounded by people who share his unique abilities, but who actually see him as a hero. As Harry moves throughout this world, he is constantly rewarded for staying true to himself. It is this trueness to his beliefs that makes him such an impenetrable force against Voldemort, time and time again.

We see this message not just in the big, epic moments, but in the quotidian decisions too. Like, when Fred and George go against what society tells them they should do, quit school, and open their own succesful joke shop. Or when Hagrid openly admits his half-giant heritage in a world that persecutes him for it. Or in the thousands of moments when Luna Lovegood stands by her beliefs and personality, even if it's costing her popularity. Or how Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the age, is in fact one of the quirkiest characters of them all.

As kids growing up on Harry Potter, we declared our houses with pride, wearing their qualities (brave, ambitious, loyal, smart) like badges on our chest. We celebrated not only that Harry Potter was so fun to read, but that it opened up the possibility of a world where we didn't have to conform to someone else's idea of how we should be. A world in which our choices about ourselves had distinct power. And by reading it and believing it, we were able to see even our Muggle world with new, confident eyes.

1. “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.” -

— Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2. “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.”

― Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

3. “Don't let the muggles get you down.”

― Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. “Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

― Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

5. “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

6. "Here lies Dobby, a free elf."

― Dobby's grave, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

7. “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.”

― Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

8. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

― Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

9. "'Fred, you next,' the plump woman said.'I'm not Fred, I'm George,' said the boy. 'Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?''Sorry, George, dear.''Only joking, I am Fred,' said the boy and off he went.”

― Fred Weasley, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

10. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

― Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

11. “You're a wizard, Harry.”

― Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Images:Warner Bros. Pictures, Giphy (11)