Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 35 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
"I resented it, Harry."
Dumbledore stated it baldly, coldly. He was now looking over the top of Harry's head, into the distance.
"I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory.
"Do not misunderstand me," he said, and pain crossed the face so that he looked ancient again. "I loved them. I loved my parents, I loved my brother and my sister, but I was selfish, Harry, more selfish than you, who are a remarkably selfless person, could possibly imagine." (35.57-60)
Dumbledore, it seems, wasn't quite strong enough to sacrifice his future for his family, as he was asked to do – one of the reasons why he recognizes Harry as a better man. Harry's selflessness is remarkable; his choice to sacrifice himself is something that most of us wouldn't have been able to do!
Quote 2
"And his knowledge remained woefully incomplete, Harry! That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing." (35.26)
Again, the difference between Harry's understanding of the world and Voldemort's is made clear – Voldemort is completely consumed by his lust for power, and his ignorance of the things that actually make life good and worthwhile are what really demonstrate his true evil.
Quote 3
"You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying." (35.88)
Dumbledore explains the real meaning of "master of death" here – it doesn't mean that Harry commands Death, but rather that he's kind of on equal terms with it. Like the third brother in the story (his ancestor), he's willing to approach Death face-to-face when the time is right, and thus has a greater understanding of it… or, rather, has come to an understanding with it.
Quote 4
"Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" (35.96-98)
This is such a classic Dumbledore thing to say. It's a little trippy, a little goofy, and a little (OK, incredibly) deep and profound. Basically, he's telling Harry to trust what goes on inside his head – just because it's happening in there, doesn't mean it's imaginary or silly.
Quote 5
"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love. By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart. If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for the present."
Harry nodded and sighed. Leaving this place would not be nearly as hard as walking into the forest had been, but it was warm and light and peaceful here, and he knew that he was heading back to pain and fear of more loss. (35.94-95)
Yet again, Harry chooses to plow ahead and do the right thing – but it's hard. He's been walking down a long, dark road in this novel, and when he thought he got to the end of it, it still wasn't actually the end… but he'll keep walking, anyway.
Quote 6
"That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic is a truth he has never grasped." (35.28)
Ah… so, real power, it seems, springs from love, something Dumbledore has said all along, but that Voldemort has never listened to. And this is why Harry triumphs over the Dark Lord in the end; he recognizes, unlike his foe, that he isn't alone in the world and wouldn't want to be, and that it's love that makes the world go 'round.
Quote 7
"Maybe a man in a million could unite the Hallows, Harry. I was fit only to possess the meanest of them, the least extraordinary. I was fit to own the Elder Wand, and not to boast of it, and not to kill with it. I was permitted to tame and to use it, because I took it, not for gain, but to save others from it.
"But the Cloak, I took out of vain curiosity, and so it could never have worked for me as it works for you, its true owner. The stone I would have used in an attempt to drag back those who are at peace, rather than to enable my self-sacrifice, as you did. You are the worthy possessor of the Hallows." (35.84-85)
Dumbledore recognizes wisely that power works best for those who deserve it – he could never have controlled all three Hallows because he never merited them. This is something that Voldemort, who thinks he can seize whatever power he wants, will never understand.
Quote 8
"Can you forgive me?" he said. "Can you forgive me for not trusting you? For not telling you? Harry, I only feared that you would fail as I had failed. I only dreaded that you would make my mistakes. I crave your pardon, Harry. I have known, for some time now, that you are the better man." (35.45)
Dumbledore feels terrible for not telling Harry about the Hallows and for not being honest with him – and perhaps it was egotistical of him to assume that Harry would make all the same mistakes he did. However, now that Dumbledore has realized that he was wrong, he's learned from his mistake.
Quote 9
"But…" Harry raised his hand instinctively toward the lightning scar. It did not seem to be there. "But I should have died – I didn't defend myself! I meant to let him kill me!"
"And that," said Dumbledore, "will, I think, have made all the difference." (35)
Ah… so, we see, it's not Harry's actual demise, but his decision to die that counts. This choice, made of his own free will, and for the sake of others, is what saves him in the end.