Draco: At the very last moment he decides not to kill Dumbledore and lowers his wand. I think this is a key moment in Draco's arc, because it shows he could be – deep in his heart – a good person. Answer from robby_on_reddit on reddit.com
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Goodreads
goodreads.com › author › quotes › 14877156.Albus_Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore Quotes (Author of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them)
31 quotes from Albus Dumbledore: 'Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.', '...humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.', and 'We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.'
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/harrypotterbooks › "it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
r/HarryPotterBooks on Reddit: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
April 14, 2020 -

What are the landmark choices made by the characters that reveal their very essence?

Below are a few from Book One. But there must be loads from across the saga. Can you suggest other key choices that give a clear view of the books' heroes and villains?

Harry: rejects the privileged, prejudiced Malfoy. Harry chooses to judge people on merit.* Likewise in the final books he turns down the friend request of Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister for Magic.

Hermione: lies to the teachers about the incident with the Troll. The truth would do fine, but she wants to protect her new friends from the teachers' wrath.

Ron: sacrifices himself on the chessboard. He gives his team the ultimate assist. He is the best friend.

Neville: attempts to stop the Trio from getting in more trouble. The odds aren't in his favour but he digs for bravery and shows integrity.

Hagrid: brings a birthday cake.

What other moments show who these and other characters truly are?

*Harry tells Malfoy, "I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." He is mistaken: he overlooks Quirrell, thinks Draco opened the Chamber of Secrets, ignores Ron’s evil rat despite the bleating Sneakoscope, falls for the MoodyCrouch's schemes, and for seven years believes Snape, who is committed to his protection, is a villain. Harry starts to recognise the wrong sort in OotP – hint: they try to get him expelled from Hogwarts.

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Shmoop
shmoop.com › quotes › it-is-our-choices-that-show-what-we-truly-are.html
Quotes - It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
Author: J.K. Rowling · "[The sorting ... beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."...
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Parade
parade.com › 1254364 › jessicasager › dumbledore-quotes
38 Best Dumbledore Quotes From Harry Potter to Inspire You - Parade
March 13, 2025 - These are the best Albus Dumbledore quotes from Harry Potter. These Dumbledore quotes touch on death, life, choices, dreams, friendship, Hogwarts and more.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/harrypotter › what is your favorite albus dumbledore quote of them all?
r/harrypotter on Reddit: What is your favorite Albus Dumbledore quote of them all?
September 29, 2023 - Continue this thread Continue this thread Continue this thread ... “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” How poetically but unnervingly prophetic.
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Harry Potter Lexicon
hp-lexicon.org › home › lexicon blog › canon discussion › it is our choices
It Is Our Choices – Harry Potter Lexicon
June 30, 2020 - "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter (CS18)
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Wikiquote
en.wikiquote.org › wiki › Albus_Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore - Wikiquote
April 6, 2025 - It's good that children's literature includes the reality of gay people, since we exist in every society. But many are disappointed that she did not make Dumbledore's sexuality explicit in the Harry Potter book.
Find elsewhere
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HobbyLark
hobbylark.com › fandoms › 10-Powerful-Quotes-of-Albus-Dumbledore
10 Powerful Quotes by Albus Dumbledore - HobbyLark
December 29, 2022 - 🙂 ... Awesome collection.. I really love such inspiration whenever I’m down.. 🙂 ... I actually have ‘it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities’ as a tattoo.
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Bookroo
bookroo.com › quotes › dumbledore
The 59 Best Dumbledore Quotes
“Albus Dumbledore is the greatest ... Secrets · book · Dumbledore · ᐧHarry Potter · characters · 45 · “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ·...
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Quora
quora.com › It-is-our-choices-Harry-that-show-what-we-truly-are-far-more-than-our-abilities-What-does-it-mean-Who-said-it
'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities' What does it mean? Who said it? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): It was Albus Dumbledore who said this to Harry. This quote pops up at the end of Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts. He's just defeated Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Lord Voldemort) in the Chamber of Secrets, saved the school, and rescued Ginny Weasley. He's noticed that he's kind of si...
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Self Publishing School
self-publishingschool.com › dumbledore-quotes
59 Best Dumbledore Quotes: Wizardly Wisdom & Fantastic Facts
October 3, 2023 - His reassuring presence and words ... from the second book in Rowling’s series. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”...
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Medium
medium.com › read-or-die › the-best-albus-dumbledore-quotes-0a50f858ddf7
The Best Albus Dumbledore Quotes. Because he really did know it all | by Joseph Ream | Read or Die! | Medium
February 24, 2024 - The Best Albus Dumbledore Quotes Because he really did know it all I just finished my a billionth Harry Potter re-watch, and I found myself ruminating on a lot of words that came out of the infamous …
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Four Minute Books
fourminutebooks.com › home › the 21 best & most underrated dumbledore quotes
Dumbledore Quotes: His 21 Wisest & Most Underrated Lines
September 26, 2023 - Here are the 10 most famous quotes from Albus Dumbledore: 1. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
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Paste Magazine
pastemagazine.com › home › articles › the 10 best albus dumbledore quotes from the harry potter series
The 10 Best Albus Dumbledore Quotes from the Harry Potter Series
July 26, 2022 - It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” —Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Lasting Quotes
lastingquotes.com › home › quote collections › albus dumbledore quotes
58 Memorable Albus Dumbledore Quotes
July 26, 2024 - Albus Dumbledore · Shop Custom Gifts For This Quote → · "We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." Albus Dumbledore · Shop Custom Gifts For This Quote → · "Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time ...
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Medium
medium.com › @mahirkhan0828 › a-wizards-wisdom-f067a87d5174
A Wizard’s Wisdom. The Best Dumbledore Quotes and Their… | by Mahir Khan | Medium
April 16, 2023 - The present is a precious resource and being too fixated on one’s hopes and dreams makes us blind to what is right in front of us. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
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SparkNotes
sparknotes.com › lit › potter2 › quotes › page › 5
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Famous Quotes Explained | SparkNotes
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
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Wishafriend
m.wishafriend.com › quotes › qid › 4958
It is our choices, Harry,, Albus Dumbledore Quote
Read and share this quote by Albus Dumbledore. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.