J. K. Rowling
I mean, is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me I'd rather [my daughters] were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny - a thousand things, before 'thin'. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons.Collection: Girl
I've often met people who are terrified, you know, in a straight jacket of their own making because they'd rather do anything that fail. They don't want to try for fear of failing.Collection: People
Love is the most powerful thing of all and I remember thinking that - God, I'm about to make myself cry but, I remember thinking that when 9/11 happened because those last phone calls were about - the last thing knowingly, that I'm going to say on this earth is "I love you". What's more powerful than that? What's more proof than that? Beyond fear, beyond death.Collection: Powerful
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, And treat them just the same.Collection: Treats
You don’t understand — there are things worth dying for!Collection: Black
But some part of him realized, even as he fought to break free from Lupin, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before. . . . Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harry, to help him. . . . If Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harry was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back. . . . That he really was . . .Collection: Yelling
Why can’t I drink the potion instead?” asked Harry desperately. “Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable,” said Dumbledore.Collection: Drink
You know how I think they choose people for Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for now reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money - you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains.Collection: Sorry
We all know that the people we love are mortal, we all know we’re mortal, we know it’s going to end; you cannot prepare yourself for it.Collection: People
Ron's eyebrows rose so high that they were in danger of disappearing into his hair.Collection: Hair
How come the Muggles don’t hear the bus?” said Harry. “Them!” said Stan contemptuously. “Don’ listen properly, do they? Don’ look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don’.Collection: Muggles
Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross..." He consulted Unfogging the Future. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' — sorry about that — but there's a thing that could be the sun... hang on... that means 'great happiness'... so you're going to suffer but be very happy..." "You need your Inner Eye tested, if you ask me," said Ron, and they both had to stifle their laughs as Professor Trelawney gazed in their direction.Collection: Sorry
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled. "What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior. "He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina. "Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again. "He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently.Collection: Strong
We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason—" "So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual—" "—detention—" "—disembowelment—Collection: Threatening Us
HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!Collection: Gentleman
And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.Collection: Old Friends
I will be sharing additional information I've been hoarding for years about the world of Harry PotterCollection: Years
The owls are gathering; find out why soon.Collection: Owl
Will there ever be an encyclopedia? Possibly. I would say two things about the encyclopedia: firstly, I’ve always said and I stand by it, whenever I do do a printed encyclopedia I would like all the proceeds to go to charity. Back in 1998 I never dreamt I personally I would be in the position that I could set up a large charitable foundation and personally do things for charity, and I’ve done other charity books already.Collection: Book
I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment, but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness.Collection: Optimistic
So after E, it’s A for ‘Acceptable,’ and that’s the last pass grade, isn’t it?” “Yep,” said Fred, dunking an entire roll in his soup, transferring it to his mouth, and swallowing it whole. “Then you get P for ‘Poor’ ” — Ron raised both his arms in mock celebration — “and D for ‘Dreadful.’ ” “And then T,” George reminded him. “T?” asked Hermione, looking appalled. “Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?” “ ‘Troll,’ ” said George promptly.Collection: Swallowing
A tiny little wooden man [was] slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: Reusable Hangman — Spell It Or He’ll Swing!Collection: Real
This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty.Collection: Dark
How d’you spell ‘belligerent’?” said Ron, shaking his quill very hard while staring at his parchment. “It can’t be B — U — M —” “No, it isn’t,” said Hermione. “And ‘augury’ doesn’t begin O — R — G either.Collection: Hermione
Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing... or at least" -- he strolled confidently to the door -- "Felix does.Collection: Doors
Fred and George turned to each other and said together, "Wow, we're identical!" "I dunno though, I think I'm still better looking," said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle.Collection: Thinking
Bill, don’t look at me — I’m ’ideous.Collection: Looks
I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo.Collection: Tattoo
Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven.Collection: Splits
Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it.Collection: Believe
I will defend the importance of bedtime stories to my last gasp.Collection: Reading
It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.Collection: Time
One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality. That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.Collection: Reality
there is plenty to be learned even from a bad teacher: what not to do, how not to beCollection: Teacher
I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before 'thin'. And frankly, I'd rather they didn't give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons. Let them never be Stupid Girls.Collection: Girl
Read as much as you possibly can. Nothing will help you as much as reading.Collection: Reading
Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.Collection: Strong Women
I believe that lack of empathy is behind many problems, and I believe that it's disrupting our society. In Great Britain, there is a steady decline in the willingness to be truly generous, and by that I don't mean monetary generosity, but friendship and sympathy for others.Collection: Believe
It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept.Collection: Heart
There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.Collection: Life
Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places.Collection: Has Beens
You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.Collection: Pain
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.Collection: Depression
Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.Collection: Giving
Courtesy dictates that we offer fellow wizards the opportunity of denying us entry.Collection: Opportunity
In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you.Collection: Heart
You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death.Collection: Running
Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?Collection: Real
Hope springs forever.Collection: Spring