You fail by default when you live so cautiously you never fail.

I want to fall in love with something in the way I fell in love with the idea of Harry before I write anything else.

Failure is not fun. It can be awful. But living so cautiously that you never fail is worse.

The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.

And he knew that at that moment, they understood each other perfectly, and when he told her what he was going to do now, she would not say ‘be careful’ or ‘don’t do it’, but she would accept his decision because she would not have expected anything less of him.

Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely," said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. "But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low-cut." Ginny glanced round, grinning, winked at Harry, then quickly faced the front again.

I have met thousands of children now, and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, 'Ms. Rowling, I'm so glad I've read these books because now I want to be a witch.'