38 Best Dumbledore Quotes From 'Harry Potter'
One of the most beloved characters in film and literary history is Harry Potter's Albus Dumbledore—and part of the reason why is that he's just so dang quotable. The Hogwarts Headmaster's witty and wise words inspire his students, especially the series' titular hero, far beyond the realms of magic wands and wizardry.
The late, great Richard Harris, who portrayed Dumbledore in the first two films in the Harry Potter franchise (the late Michael Gambon then took over the role), once said that the character was one of the trickiest he's ever played precisely because of the quotes he delivers throughout the story. “Dumbledore’s presence is right through the books even though you don’t see that much of him," he explained. "He’s a very important figure in the stories, and I needed to find a rhythm and a meter in this beautifully written dialogue in order to be able to play the part.”
Behold, below we've gathered 38 of the best Dumbledore quotes about life, love, friendship, Muggles, and, of course, magic.
Related: 'Harry Potter' Actor Michael Gambon Dead at 82
Dumbledore quotes
1. "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."
2. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
3. "People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right."
4. "It is my belief that the truth is generally preferable to lies."
5. "While we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one."
6. "Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it."
7. "Curiosity is not a sin, but we should exercise caution with our curiosity."
8. "I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind."
9. "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."
10. "The truth: It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with caution."
Related: Need a Little Magic in Your Life? Try Streaming All 8 Harry Potter Movies—Here’s How!
11. "Youth can not know how age thinks and feels, but old men are guilty if they forget what it is to be young."
12. "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness. Nothing more."
13. "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
14. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
15. "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
Related: How to Watch the Wizarding World Movies of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts in Order
16. "Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it."
17. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
18. "Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
19. "It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated."
20. "The best of us sometimes eat our words."
Related: Harry Potter Trivia: 50 Fun Facts About the Wizarding World
21. "We must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy."
22. "One can never have enough socks."
23. "Killing is not so easy as the innocent believe."
24. "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love."
25. "You think the dead we loved truly ever leave us? You think we don't recall them more clearly in times of great trouble?"
Related: This Is the Most Popular Harry Potter Book in Your State
26. "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."
27. "As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."
28. "Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one that rises against them and strikes back!"
29. "Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."
30. "We must try not to sink beneath our anguish ... but battle on."
Related: We Ranked All 10 Wizarding World of Harry Potter Movies, Including Fantastic Beasts 2
31. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."
32. "For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud."
33. "This pain is part of being human. The fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."
34. "Music, a magic beyond all we do here!"
35. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”
36. “Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery."
37. "Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.”
38. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
