J. K. Rowling is, perhaps, one of the most brilliant authors of our era—at least she is to those of us who are still waiting for our Hogwarts letters to arrive. Rowling is witty, compassionate, articulate, wise, and understands more about the world than most give her credit for.
We're living in a dark world, but here are some of Rowling's words of wisdom to bring you a little light.
It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
If Harry Potter taught us anything, it's that no one should live in a closet.
I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.
What's coming will come and we'll just have to meet it when it does.
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized ... And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
When people are very damaged, they can often meet the world with a kind of defiance.
Never be ashamed! There's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth bothering with.
It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.
We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.
You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.
It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.
As is a tale, so is life: Not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure.
Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone's total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.
We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.
Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who ... have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.
It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.
Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.
We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.
The world is full of wonderful things you haven't seen yet. Don't ever give up on the chance of seeing them.
