When you ask a Harry Potter fan about their favorite line, most will pick a Dumbledore classic. “It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities,” or “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” But the internet’s truly favorite Potter line is far less serious. And it wasn’t uttered by Dumbledore.
A popular Harry Potter Reddit thread polled the internet community about favorite lines. The line with the most votes is Harry’s smart-ass response to Snape: “There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor.” Harry says this in Half-Blood Prince when Snape tries to prompt him to call him ‘sir’.” It lands him a detention and delighted gasps from the class.
The internet appreciates sassy Harry more than profound Dumbledore, it seems. This makes sense since Harry spends so many pages being angsty. It’s always a blast when he allows himself to have fun and unleashes his inner sass.
Other popular lines include Sirius Black’s “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals,” and Dumbledore’s iconic welcome speech in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!”‘
