Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 18 Quotes
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 18 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
"Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLES' OWN GOOD – this, I think is the crucial point… We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD." (18.34)
Whoa, there – this quote from a teenage Dumbledore to teenage Grindelwald is shocking. However, it raises an intriguing question – what is "the greater good"? How, for that matter, do we determine what is good or evil? Why should the two former friends have split, but continued, each in his own way, to hold to similar ideals, but on different sides?
Quote 2
He had spilled his own blood more times than he could count; he had lost all the bones in his right arm once; this journey had already given him scars to his chest and forearm to join those on his hand and forehead, but never, until this moment, had he felt himself to be fatally weakened, vulnerable, and naked, as though the best part of his magical power had been torn from him. (18.2)
Harry's wand is Harry, in his mind – and without it, he feels at a loss. This demonstrates how closely a wizard's wand is tied to his own personality; without the special wand that's seen him through encounters with Voldemort, he feels like he's not fully himself.
Quote 3
"Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build… where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that is necessary and no more." (18.34)
This quote, from a letter that young Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald, demonstrates the dangers of having too much power – the idea that the added strength of magic makes wizards fit to rule (albeit "responsibly") over Muggles is the overly enthusiastic and dangerously idealistic claim of an immature, young wizard.