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Harry Potter: Harry’s 5 Most Inspiring Quotes (& 5 Most Selfish)

Harry Potter might lead by example most of the time, but he's still very young. Twenty years after the first Harry Potter film premiered, here's a look at some of Harry's most inspiring and most selfish quotes in the series.

By Svetlana SterlinPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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Over the course of an eight-part saga, Harry grows from an unwanted orphan to the most celebrated wizard of his generation. Even in his first year at Hogwarts, he inspires his friends, and by his fifth year, he's the mentor of a small army.

Harry may lead by example, but he's still a teenager for most of the series, and being the Chosen One can get to his head sometimes. While he's often selfless and caring, he can also be self-absorbed. He believes he has to do everything alone without considering how the people who love him will feel, nor thinking about their desire to contribute to the fight against evil.

10. Inspiring: "You'll Never Know Love Or Friendship."

Harry uses every ounce of his strength to fight Voldemort's powerful influence after he's drained from battling Death Eaters. He doesn't fear Voldemort's power, and he doesn't use the opportunity to say anything petty or vengeful.

Harry's strength comes from his friends and family. He wards off Voldemort by remembering the happy moments he's shared with them, which is one of the most empowering moments of the entire series. He tells Voldemort that he's the weak one and that he feels sorry for him, asserting his superiority over the darkest wizard of all time.

9. Selfish: "Look At Me!"

Voldemort's been getting into Harry's head, and Dumbledore is afraid to get too close because it may allow Voldemort to compromise Hogwarts. But Harry isn't thinking of anyone but himself. He's been distancing himself from his friends all year, and while Dumbledore has been ignoring him, frequent nightmares have been kindling Harry's frustration.

After seeing Arthur Weasley seriously injured in one of his nightmares, Harry is taken to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore won't so much as look at him, and Harry finally snaps. He yells at the Headmaster, demanding his attention, even when Arthur's life is at stake - not to mention the fate of everyone at Hogwarts.

8. Inspiring: "We've Got One Thing That Voldemort Doesn't Have: Something Worth Fighting For."

After the battle at the Ministry, the wizarding world finally accepts that Voldemort is back. As Harry and his friends leave Hogwarts for the summer, he tells them that he's been thinking about something Dumbledore said.

Having something worth fighting for is what fuels Harry's journey for the rest of the series and inspires his friends as they join the fight for a happy, peaceful world.

7. Selfish: "No Offense, But I Really Don't Care."

The day before the second challenge of the Triwizard Tournament, Harry's in the library trying to figure out how to survive underwater for an hour. Neville's with him, reading about gravity-defying trees, but Harry tells him that he doesn't care.

Neville's so passionate about Herbology that seeing him shot down is hurtful. But Harry perks up when Neville mentions Gillyweed. Without Neville, Harry wouldn't survive the second challenge.

6. Inspiring: "You Don't Know What That's Like."

At first, Harry's hesitant to start Dumbledore's Army, thinking everyone wants to hear stories about Voldemort. But without realizing it, he inspires the skeptical students to sign up for the fight. His friends name the amazing things he's done over the years, but he brushes them off.

Hermione says he's being modest, but he counters: "No, Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake, you can just try again tomorrow. But out there, when you're a second away from being murdered, or watching a friend die right before your eyes ... you don't know what that's like." Hermione agrees: "That's why we need your help." She even says Voldemort's name.

5. Selfish: "I'm A Bit Preoccupied At The Moment, Luna."

Even though Harry is fighting for a cause greater than himself, he should give Luna a chance. She knows more about Rowena Ravenclaw and her Lost Diadem, and she could get him into the Common Room quicker.

He thinks she just wants to chat, so he dismisses her. Only when she yells does she have his attention. After all these years, Harry still hasn't learned to accept his friends' help. He doesn't see that they don't only want to serve him, but the cause they're all fighting for.

4. Inspiring: "Expecto Patronum."

At first, Harry struggles to find a happy memory powerful enough to produce a Patronus, but he persists, even though it's advanced magic. When he and Sirius are dying in the Forbidden Forest, Harry casts a Patronus even though he's weak. The dementors overwhelm him, but as he's fainting, he sees a Patronus in the form of a stag, thinking it's his father, but it's actually Harry from the future.

At the last moment, he realizes that it's his own spell, and he knows he can do it because he's already seen himself do it. He performs the spell confidently and banishes at least 100 dementors, saving himself and Sirius.

3. Selfish: "Sir, It's Quidditch Tomorrow."

Snape takes Lupin's class for him when he's sick, but Hermione is the only one to notice that Snape's choice of subject matter is no coincidence, as she's the first to realize that Lupin's a werewolf.

To everyone's disappointment, Snape demands an essay by Monday. Harry thinks he's special because he's on the Quidditch team, and he tells Snape so. Snape advises him to take extra care because the loss of limbs won't excuse him from the homework.

2. Inspiring: "Working Hard Is Important, But There's Something That Matters Even More: Believing In Yourself."

Dumbledore's Army sees young witches and wizards uniting for a common goal despite differences in age and Hogwarts Houses. Under Harry's guidance, even Neville is able to cast a Disarming spell.

Harry gives everyone individual feedback, helping them refine their skills in preparation for defending themselves against dark forces. Following the above, he says, "Every great wizard in history has started out as nothing more than what we are now: students. If they can do it, why not us?"

1. Selfish: "You Don't Understand."

After detention with Umbridge, Hermione and Ron advise Harry to report the torturous punishment to Dumbledore. But Harry's nervous about approaching him after the way things have been between them all year. He doesn't consider that Umbridge could inflict similar punishments on other students - which she does, many times, eventually driving Cho to betray Harry (though he doesn't know that Umbridge interrogated her using a truth serum).

Rather than lean on his friends, Harry pushes them away. They're showing him they care, but he says they don't understand. Hermione pleads, "Then help us to." But he walks away. He showcases similar behavior in The Half-Blood Prince, keeping the Prince to himself, and again when he believes he's going to fight Voldemort and find the Horcruxes alone.

[Originally shared via ScreenRant.]

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About the Creator

Svetlana Sterlin

Svetlana Sterlin is based in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes prose, poetry, and screenplays. The founding editor of swim meet lit mag, she also edits with Voiceworks.

More from Svetlana: https://linktr.ee/svetlanasterlin

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