Context

These famous words of wisdom are spoken by Albus Dumbledore, played by Michael Gambon in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (directed by Alfonso Cuarón, 2004).

In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, headmaster Albus Dumbledore does what all adults seem to do: speak only in metaphor. It's a dark time at Hogwarts. Dementors have been appearing. The guy who played Dumbledore in the first two films has died.

But our new Dumbledore has some sage advice, letting the students of the magical school know that "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Then he lights a candle without matches, like a magic version of the Clapper. But you don't need magic to find happiness; you just need to look for a little light within.

Where you've heard it

This comforting line gets around. It's been spoken at a memorial service in Texas, tattooed on various parts of the human body, and stenciled on walls (above the light switch, of course).

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This is probably one of the most encouraging, least pretentious bits of advice we've ever heard outside of a self-help book.