The Harry Potter books and films are wonderfully written, practically overflowing with imagination and enchanting details. The dialogue is frequently memorable, from humorous lines ("Follow the spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?") to chilling ones ("There is no good and evil. Only power, and those too weak to seek it.") Beyond their magic, these stories have a genuine emotional core at its center, which always shined through the dialog.
At their best, Harry Potter quotes are smart, mature, catchy, and striking. They flesh out the world of the story, provide insight into a character, or neatly express a fascinating truth. Dumbledore, being the series' font of wisdom, gets most of the choice lines. Each of the Potter movies contains a wealth of great lines, and these are the finest of each, standing out because of their surprising depth, charm, wittiness, and overall memorability.
8 "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."
Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris) - 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001)
The first film ends with Dumbledore (Richard Harris) awarding Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) 60 points for his heroics and Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) with 50 each. This puts Gryffindor and Slytherin in a tie. However, what finally puts Gryfindor over the edge and clinches them the victory is the 10 points Dumbledore hands to Neville (Matthew Lewis) for trying to stop his friends from leaving the common room after hours.
Dumbledore praises Neville for having the guts to disagree with his friends over what he believes is right. Interestingly, the Headmaster saves seemingly the least notable achievement for last. In other words, Dumbledore is stressing the importance of living by one's values and not going along with the crowd, even if they're close friends. It's a valuable lesson, especially for children, and one that many Harry Potter characters fail to take heed of. Additionally, it's a way for Dumbledore to acknowledge Neville, especially since he could also have been the Chosen One, had things panned out differently.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
PGAdventureFamilyFantasy Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Director Chris Columbus Cast Richard Harris , Maggie Smith , Robbie Coltrane , Saunders Triplets , Daniel Radcliffe , Fiona Shaw , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson Runtime 152 minutes Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves7 "You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."
Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris) - 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' (2002)
Yet more words of wisdom from Albus Dumbledore, still played by the late Richard Harris. This time, he makes this statement as he is suspended from his post as Headmaster, summing up the Hogwarts ethos: that support and assistance are available for all students. However, he stresses that one must be humble enough to request it. He's saying that a young witch or wizard must swallow their pride and acknowledge that they need help; this is the only way they'll learn and grow.
It's a quality that Tom Riddle sorely lacked, making for a contrast between him and Harry. The words also ring true literally later on when Dumbledore sends Fawkes the phoenix into the Chamber of Secrets to assist Harry. The sword of Gryffindor then appears in the Sorting Hat, providing him with the exact help he needs. However, Dumbledore revises his statement in the last movie. "Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it," he says instead. It's an intriguing distinction, implying that if one is a good person first, then they will receive what they need to succeed.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
PGAdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
The second installment of boy wizard Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A mysterious elf tells Harry to expect trouble during his second year at Hogwarts, but nothing can prepare him for trees that fight back, flying cars, spiders that talk and deadly warnings written in blood on the walls of the school.
Release Date November 13, 2002 Director Chris Columbus Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Richard Griffiths , Fiona Shaw , Harry Melling Runtime 161 Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves6 "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Multiple Characters - 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' (2004)
The Marauders' Map is a key plot device in the third Harry Potter movie. It lists Hogwarts's secret entrances and contains the location of every person in the castle. The map becomes incredibly relevant, as it allows Harry to sneak off-campus and alerts him to the fact that Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) is still alive. The map, created by his dad (Adrian John Rawlins), Sirius (Gary Oldman), Lupin (David Thewlis), and Wormtail, also tells the viewer about the friends' rule-breaking spirit, showing that Harry inherited this trait from his father.
The only way to use the map is to utter the phrase "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," which has become one of the most iconic lines in the entire franchise. It appears on countless Harry Potter merchandise and scores of people have even gotten it as a tattoo. It's a fantastic motto for Harry, as he routinely flouts authority when it stands in the way of what he thinks is right. This quality gets him into all kinds of trouble, but it's also a key part of what makes him a hero.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
PGAdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.
Release Date May 31, 2004 Director Alfonso Cuarón Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Richard Griffiths , Pam Ferris , Fiona Shaw , Harry Melling , Adrian Rawlins Runtime 141 Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves5 "Soon, we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy."
Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) - 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (2006)
Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) delivers this line after Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) returns to full power, even as much of the Wizarding World refuses to believe it. On the one hand, it simply foreshadows the conflict to come and shows that Dumbledore is keenly aware of the threat Lord Voldemort poses. But it's also a psychologically sophisticated observation that demonstrates the series' mature understanding of human nature.
This quote insists that most people don't do bad things out of malice but rather out of convenience. Here, Dumbledore hits on one of the key problems of the human condition: the average person isn't evil; they're just scared and vulnerable, and often, doing the right thing comes at a great cost. Any student of history can see that this is the case. Time and time again, people have allowed terrible things to take place not because they support them but because standing up to them would have made their lives far more difficult.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
PG-13AdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
The fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returning for his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). There is an upcoming tournament between the three major schools of magic, with one participant selected from each school by the Goblet of Fire. When Harry's name is drawn, even though he is not eligible and is a fourth player, he must compete in the dangerous contest.
Release Date November 16, 2005 Director Mike Newell Cast Eric Sykes , Timothy Spall , David Tennant , Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint Runtime 154 minutes Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling4 "We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on."
Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) - 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' (2007)
Sirius says this to Harry after the boy wizard confesses that he fears he may share many traits in common with Voldemort. Rather than deny it, Sirius admits that this is true but stresses that being a good person isn't about being totally pure. Rather, he says that even the best of us are flawed and have many awful qualities: what counts are the choices a person makes. Morality requires that everyone acknowledges their shadow while striving to cultivate positive attributes.
This issue of choice runs through every Harry Potter movie. Audiences see this perhaps most notably in the first film, where the Sorting Hat tells Harry that he has many Slytherin qualities and that he might even become great were he to join that House. But Harry asks not to be placed there, and the Hat obliges. As Harry later tells his son Albus in the epilogue of the last book: "The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account." Put another way, a person's decisions, not their nature, determine their fate.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
PG-13AdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.
Release Date June 28, 2007 Director David Yates Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Harry Melling , Jason Boyd , Richard Macklin , Kathryn Hunter , Miles Jupp Runtime 138 Writers Michael Goldenberg , J.K. Rowling3 "Once again, I must ask too much of you, Harry."
Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) - 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (2009)
The sixth Harry Potter film is the most humorous, but that doesn't mean it's not remarkably dark. Whereas in the past, Dumbledore withheld most of the key information from Harry, in this movie, he shares with him his plans to deal with Voldemort and asks Harry to join him in exploring the Dark Lord's past. This approach culminates in Dumbledore bringing Harry with him to the cave where they believe Voldemort's locket, a Horcrux, is hidden.
Dumbledore puts Harry through a lot during this mission, including forcing the boy to make Dumbledore drink the poison that protects the locket, even as the Headmaster begs him to stop. This line hints at the many sacrifices Harry must commit on his journey as the Chosen One, including the most profound request Dumbledore will make: that Harry eventually sacrifices his own life to destroy the Horcrux within him so that Voldemort can be defeated. Dumbledore acknowledges that this request is too much, and yet he makes it anyway. In other words, Dumbledore is willing to die in the fight against the Dark Lord and expects Harry to do the same. It's a grim and sobering quote that highlights the heavy price of war and the sacrifices necessary to take down a great evil.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
PGAdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.
Release Date July 7, 2009 Director David Yates Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Michael Gambon , Dave Legeno , Elarica Gallacher , Jim Broadbent , Geraldine Somerville Runtime 153 minutes Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling2 "I want to bury him. Properly, without magic."
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' (2010)
There is a lot of death in the last two movies: Hedwig, Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), Fred Weasley (Oliver Phelps), and Lupin, to name a few. However, the murder of beloved house-elf Dobby at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) is perhaps the most painful. He is felled after rescuing Harry and his allies from Malfoy Manor, and his funeral is the film's concluding scene.
The heroes give Dobby a proper farewell, and Harry digs the grave himself. His grief is palpable, and the scene is deeply moving; notably, he sets his wand aside and does it by hand. Rather than using magic to bury Dobby in seconds, Harry takes his time and puts in effort as if to experience the pain before releasing it. The quote summarizes Harry's nature and his reaction to the countless losses he endures throughout the last books. It's also a way of showing respect to a friend who saved him multiple times. The house-elves were forced to do labor for wizards, a highly problematic aspect of the saga that has aged like milk. Here, Harry performs labor for Dobby, honoring him with "every drop of his sweat and every blister," as the book reveals.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
PG-13FantasyAdventureFamily Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
As Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.
Director David Yates Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Bill Nighy Runtime 156 minutes Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling1 "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic."
Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) - 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' (2011)
After Harry "dies" at the climax of the last movie, he ends up in an ethereal limbo-like place, where he meets Dumbledore, and the two talk, discussing all that has happened. Dumbledore has many wonderful lines in the scene, especially this one. The quote feels meta: not only is Dumbledore speaking about the power of words shared amongst people, but it's also a way of commenting on the power of the books themselves. After all, the Harry Potter series began as just words on paper, but they conjured up an immersive world that captured the hearts of tens of millions of people.
This links up with something else Dumbledore says in the scene. When Harry asks if this is real or just happening in his head, Albus replies, "Of course, it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" This line also seems like a reference to the series itself. The stories are fictional, but the emotions contained in them have a tangible impact. It's a beautiful way to bring the fantastic Harry Potter saga to a close.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
PG-13AdventureFamilyFantasyMystery Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.
Release Date July 7, 2011 Director David Yates Cast Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon , Alan Rickman , Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson Runtime 130 minutes Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. RowlingncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51ktaK%2B0bJkqaekqbKzecyoraKdo2K%2BtrvTnqpo