By all means continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many.
J. K. RowlingRead
Every now and then I read a poem that does touch something in me, but I never turn to poetry for solace or pleasure in the way that I throw myself into prose.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Rowling reflects on her complex relationship with poetry compared to prose.
In this quote, J.K. Rowling expresses that while she occasionally finds emotional resonance in poetry, she doesn’t seek poetry for comfort or enjoyment as she does with prose. This highlights a distinction in her preferences, suggesting that prose provides her with a deeper sense of solace and engagement than poetry does.
Themes
PoetryProseEmotionComfortPreference
In practice
Example use cases
In a literary discussion about the different impacts of poetry and prose.
More from J. K. Rowling
All quotes →Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?” James lifted an invisible sword. “‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him. “Got a problem with that?” “No,” said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy —” “Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” interjected Sirius.
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Depression isn't just being a bit sad. It's feeling nothing. It's not wanting to be alive anymore.
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I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit.
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Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?
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The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.
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