Life Lessons From Dumbledore and Harry Potter

I am always amazed when at the end of a good book I feel a little sad that my new friendship with the characters has ended. My favorite series, Harry Potter, is one friendship that will never end because...

"There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a 12 foot mountain troll is one of them."

The wisdom in the books, particularly from Professor Dumbledore, are lessons that can be applied to everyday life. I listen to the audiobooks several times a year and will continue to do so because every time I do, I have another wonderful, exciting journey.

 

In celebration of the final Harry Potter film, I would like to share with you a few of my favorite quotes, lessons and principles that I have learned from the incredible timeless story of Harry Potter.

 

Our choices help shape who we are.

 In Chamber of Secrets Dumbledore tells Harry that, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

 

Inevitably we will have to choose "between what is right and what is easy."

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

Making the small, right choices, every day may not be easy, but will help strengthen our hearts and minds so that when we are faced with difficult choices later it will be easier to choose the right, not the easy.

Mercy.

I was surprised that Harry let Peter Pettigrew live in Prisoner of Azkaban. Dumbledore shows mercy to Draco when he arrives to kill Dumbledore. I have found that in life mercy is a very difficult trait to develop. Until we are on the side needing mercy, one cannot fully appreciate its power.

"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

Opposition, Perseverance, Hope and Despair

Inevitably Harry is tried over and over by Lord Voldemort and his followers. In Sorceress Stone he is even offered a choice to unite with Voldemort. Continuously Harry resists the constant temptations and invasions of Voldemort. Even faced with physical pain he continues to hope and fight for what he believes in.

Horace Slughorn said that,

"There can be no light without the dark ... myself I always strive to live within the light."

There can be no light without darkness. There can be no happiness without sadness. This principle is one that I have learned to respect and understand in my life. If we do not experience or know of despair how can we learn to have hope?

The power of love leaves a mark on us all.

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign ... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever...It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

This statement makes me cry every time I read it.
Every person should know the mark and power of love.

Thank you J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter

for leaving your mark on me.

 

Happy Reading,

Jennifer