'Harry Potter' Movie Quotes

Wax statue of Harry Potter
Miguel Mendez/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.5

From a first novel written in brief sessions in a coffee shop while her child napped came an entire world that's known across the globe. J.K. Rowling's seven-book "Harry Potter" series captured not only children's imagination but adults' as well and became an empire with eight blockbuster movies and even a theme park.

But it's not just the special effects in the films that make "Harry Potter" a success. It's the stories themselves. The movies were a bonus for the fans who clamored for the books and went to midnight release parties at bookstores as they were being published. The series contains a quintessential coming-of-age story, as a young boy learns about himself, his family history, and his skills and talents as he grows up—and vanquishes evil while doing it. He uses his smarts, his courage, and his education to achieve good in the world, which seems to be ever resting on his shoulders and that of his friends—because you go further when you've got a good crew by your side.

Even though Harry is a wizard, universal life lessons resonate with the muggles (non-wizarding folk) in the readership, which leads to the books and screenplays being ever quotable. Here is a collection of Harry Potter quotes, some poignant, some funny, some full of wisdom, and all memorable.

Albus Dumbledore Quotes

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

"I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored [candy], and since then I have rather lost my liking for them. But, I think I could be safe with a nice toffee. [eats it] Hmm, alas, earwax." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.” "The Chamber of Secrets"

"A word of caution: Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It's not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. But you know happiness can be found even in the darkest of times when one only remembers to turn on the light." —"The Prisoner of Azkaban"

"[W]e must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." —"The Goblet of Fire"

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love." —"The Deathly Hallows Part 2"

"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it." —"The Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Harry Potter

Harry Potter to Uncle Vernon: "I swear I don't know. One second the glass was there and the next it was gone. It was like magic."
Uncle Vernon: "There is no such thing as magic!" —"The Sorcerer's Stone"

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall: "This boy will be famous. There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

Minerva McGonagall to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley: "Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch. That way, one of you might be on time." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

Minerva McGonagall to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger: "Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?" —"The Half-Blood Prince"

Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy: "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

Professor Lupin to the class: "Now repeat after me—without wands please—repeat after me, 'Riddikulus. '"

Class: "Riddikulus!"
Professor Lupin: "And again!"
Class: "Riddikulus!"
Draco Malfoy: "This class is ridiculous." —"The Prisoner of Azkaban"

Ron Weasley

Ron Weasley: “Why spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?” "The Chamber of Secrets"

Ron Weasley to Harry Potter: "Blimey, Harry. You've slayed dragons. If you can't get a date, who can?"

Harry: "I think I'd take the dragon now." —"The Goblet of Fire"

Ginny Weasley to Ron Weasley about Harry Potter: "He's covered in blood again. Why is it he's always covered in blood?"

Ron: "Well, it looks like it's his own this time." "The Half-Blood Prince"

Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger: "Ancient Egyptians used to worship cats, you know."

Ron Weasley: "Yeah, along with the dung beetle." —"The Prisoner of Azkaban"

Draco Malfoy to Hermione Granger: "Ahh, come to watch the show? "
Hermione Granger: "YOU FOUL, LOATHSOME, EVIL LITTLE COCKROACH!"
[Hermione raises wand at Malfoy]
Ron Weasley: "Hermione, no. He's not worth it."
[Hermione lowers wand]
[Malfoy laughs and then Hermione socks him in the nose]
[Malfoy and friends run away]
Hermione to Ron: "That felt good."
Ron: "Not good. Brilliant." "The Prisoner of Azkaban"

Hermione Granger: "Just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon..." "The Order of the Phoenix"

Hermione Granger to Harry Potter, referencing herself and Ron: "You need us, Harry." "The Half-Blood Prince"

Other Memorable Quotes

Mr. Ollivander: "It's curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar." "The Sorcerer's Stone"

Moaning Myrtle: "Sure! Let's all throw books at Myrtle because she can't feel it! Ten points if you get it through her stomach!" —"The Chamber of Secrets"

Sirius Black to Harry: "I haven't a clue who put your name in the Goblet, Harry, but whoever did is no friend to you." —"The Goblet of Fire"

Luna Lovegood: “[T]hings we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. [They look up and see a pair of her shoes hanging from the ceiling arch.)] If not always in the way we expect." "The Order of the Phoenix"

Remus Lupin: "It is the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers." "The Deathly Hallows Part 2"