Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts

My favorite quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes, collected from various sources like movies, TV shows, books etc.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."
 - Avatar Aang, Legend of Korra, Season 1 Finale - Endgame


Legend of Korra is one of the most under-rated TV shows. Being a spin-off of the somewhat unpopular yet genius predecessor Avatar : The Legend of Aang, this show has beautiful 2D animation, excellent dialogues, wonderful action sequences and a great story high on moral values.

After the duel with Amon, Korra loses her Avatar powers, hitting the lowest point in her life, while low on confidence and hope, when the great Avatar Aang appears in front of her, says the words powerfully while giving her Avatar powers. The accompanying Avatar theme music while Korra bends all the four elements will make your hair stand on end.


"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



Of all the countless philosophies that the old timer taught to Harry and his friends, I think this one stood out, because of the simple yet impactful words, to which if you put a little more thought, will make you wonder about the power of words.

"When you base your expectations only on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality."
- Zaheer, Legend of Korra, Season 3, Ep 9




The villian with a powerful voice in the 3rd season is not all that bad. He is more of a radical revolutionary, and you can't help but agree to these words  when he says them to the prison guards who are surprised at his new found bending powers, just before breaking out of the prison in a high octane action sequence.

"Children aren't coloring books, you don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."
- Rahim Khan, The Kite Runner



A father complains to his friend about the way his kid is growing up, getting bullied on the street and getting saved by his best friend. He says - "A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything." His friend's counter-point makes you think.

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."
-Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


Another great one from Dumbledore's mind palace while explaining Harry the importance of friendship and having the courage to stand up for friends.

 "Winter is coming."
 - Motto of House Stark, Game of Thrones



This highly popular quote from Game of Thrones, always reminds me of another one from Harry Potter- "Fear of a name, increases the fear of the thing itself". People who have not read the books but are following the show, like me, always wonder and even dread, about what would happen when the winter does come.

"I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger! A guy opens his door and gets shot and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!"
-Walter White, Breaking Bad 



Walter White explains to his wife that he is the real bad-ass Heisenberg.


"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
- Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight 



The Dark Knight Trilogy had memorable quotes from Bruce Wayne, Joker, Alfred and Bane but this one from Harvey Dent really defines the moral epitome and will of Batman to protect Gotham.

"Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises! Ride now!... Ride now!... Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending! Death!"
- King Theoden, Lord of the Rings 



Theoden and his army appear at the edge of horizon with the rising sun when Minas Tirith had lost all hopes of winning the war against Sauron. This speech instills courage in Theoden's army and fear in the Orcs. The music that follows the speech in the movie while the army marches in the plains will move your soul.

A few more random quotes and sayings (I don't exactly remember the source for some of them)...

"Dream your painting, paint your dream."
            - Unknown
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.
            - Lord of the Rings
" True wisdom begins when we accept things as they are"
- Tenzin, Legend of Korra

"Instinct is a lie, told by your fearful body hoping to be wrong"
- Zaheer, Legend of Korra

"I am gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"
- Don Corleone, The Godfather

"Sometimes, we feel happy for no reason at all, at that moment, don't find one."
- Myself

"Love costs all we were and will ever be, but it is only love which sets us free"

"Follow love and it will flee, flee love and it will follow"

"You cannot have snakes in your backyard and expect them to bite only your neighbors" 
-Homeland

"Earth without 'art' is 'eh'" 

"There is always a way to be good again"
-The Kite Runner

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream"
- Edgar Allan Poe

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”
- Sam, Lord of the Rings

"Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds dicsuss ideas."

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Do not go gentle into that good night."
 - Dr. Brand, Interstellar

"Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here."
- Cooper, Interstellar

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on... when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend... some hurts that go too deep... that have taken hold."
- Frodo Baggins, Lord of the Rings 

Lord of the Rings VS Harry Potter. Looks like someone was heavily inspired !


I liked Harry Potter. Philosopher's stone introduced me to the world of novels when I was in middle school. The story of The Boy Who Lived and Dark Lord Voldemort was one of the best things of my childhood and am sure millions of die-hard fans worldwide would agree the same. But that impression of mine faded a little when I read Lord of The Rings in the summer of 2009. I had not heard one word about the greatness of the novel or seen the movies when I started with Fellowship of the Ring. Within a month I had Frodo Baggins in my mind waving good bye to his friends before he departs for the Undying Lands and the Third Age comes to an end. If you ask people who have read both Potter and LOTR which is the greatest novel, I think atleast 70% might point to LOTR including me. I can side my opinion based on various non-story factors like the times they were written in, the authors and their originality. Speaking of originality, here's a detailed description of how we can safely say was greatly inspired by 's middle earth heroics.

Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings - The Similarities



Similarity
Harry Potter

Lord of the Rings
Evil sorceror referred to as "Dark Lord" who desires to regain physical shapeVoldemortSauron
Wise old mentor with a long gray beard and a wizard hatDumbledoreGandalf
A birthday sets off eventsHarry's 11thFrodo's 33rd and Bilbo's 111th
Inherited invisibility deviceCloakRing (although the Ring takes you to a different 'world')
Dog named FangOwned by HagridOwned by Farmer Maggot
Evil, creepy hooded creaturesDementorsNazgul
Deceased parentsHarry's parents were murderedFrodo's parents drowned
Taken to live with uncleHarry lives with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt PetuniaFrodo lives with his Uncle Bilbo (film version - second cousin once removed in the book)
Giant SpiderAragogShelob
Bad guy with a "wormy" namePeter Pettigrew (Wormtail)Grima (Wormtongue)
LongbottomNeville Longbottom who excels at HerbologyTobold Hornblower from Longbottom who knows much about herbs and pipe-weed
Fight with a trollHarry, Ron and Hermione fight a troll on HalloweenThe Fellowship of the Ring fight a troll
Dark forestForbidden ForestOld forest just outside of the Shire
"Elves" describing a race of peopleHouse elves act as servantsA race of peoples from Middle Earth
Small, pitiable creature who talks in third personDobbyGollum
GoblinsRun wizarding bank GringottsOne of the evil races of middle earth (otherwise known as Orcs everywhere except in The Hobbit)
Holder of the keysHagrid (Keeper of the Keys)Hurin (Warden of the Keys)
Mischievous pairFred & George WeasleyMerry and Pippin (film version)
Forbidden languageSaying "Voldemort"Black Speech of Mordor
Dangerous willow treeWhomping WillowOld Man Willow
Basin of seeingPensieveGaladriel's Mirror
Powerful, life-saving swordsGodric Gryffindor's swordAnduril
Scar on foreheadHarryMerry
Do not disturb water because of...The giant squidWatcher in the Water
Longed for safe-havenDuring the summer Harry wishes he was back at HogwartsOn their quest, the hobbits long to be back in the safety of the Shire.
Scar from Evil forcesHarry's scar on foreheadFrodo's scar from the Morgul Blade

The greatest among the similarities are of course - the wizards, their friends, the cloak-ring, and Dobby-Gollum. Now fans of HP (and LOTR), which is the greatest?