12 J.K. Rowling Quotes To Live By

I grew up thinking that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were some of my best friends, and I have to revisit the Harry Potter books every so often just to hang out with them again. The characters felt real because they were real, to an extent, since author J.K. Rowling infused the series with details from her own life to explore themes of friendship, death, relationships, growing up, and love. These were themes readers identified with, so it’s no surprise that we reread the books again and again… even after all this time.

But Rowling wasn’t always the author of the best-selling book series of all time, not to mention an active philanthropist and charity founder. She faced hardships from clinical depression to financial insecurity, and at one point considered herself a failure. So it’s no shocker that she’s pretty quotable, with the life experience and wisdom that she’s gained throughout her journey to success.

There are certainly plenty of quotes to live by in the Harry Potter series, but Rowling can enchant even beyond these words. From interviews to speeches to witty tweets, she often doles out words of wisdom for readers who have already memorized the books and are looking for a little more magic.

"Sometimes I get asked 'What would be your recipe for a happier life?' And I've always said 'A bit more tolerance from all of us.'"

—CBC Radio Interview

"There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you."

—Harvard Commencement Address

"I don't think there's any harm at all in allowing a kid to fantasize. In fact, I think to stop people from fantasizing is a very destructive thing indeed."

—CBC Radio Interview

"... failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free ..."

—Harvard Commencement Address

"I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never. What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that."

—Edinburgh University Student Magazine Interview

"The world is full of wonderful things you haven't seen yet. Don't ever give up on the chance of seeing them."

—Twitter

"... given a Time Turner, I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life ..."

—Harvard Commencement Address

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default."

—Harvard Commencement Address

"If it's a good book, anyone will read it. I'm totally unashamed about still reading things I loved in my childhood ..."

—TIME Magazine Interview

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."

—Harvard Commencement Address

"All these people saying they never got their Hogwarts letter: you got the letter. You went to Hogwarts. We were all there together. Of course it happened inside your head, but why on earth should that mean it wasn't real?"

—Twitter

"...the stories we love best do live in us forever. So, whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

—Harry Potter 2011 Premiere