By all means continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many.
J. K. RowlingRead
Well I think it is often the case that the biggest bullies take what they know to be their own defects, as they see it, and they put them right on someone else and then they try and destroy the other and that's what Voldemort does.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes how bullies project their insecurities onto others, similar to the character Voldemort's actions.
In this quote, J.K. Rowling reflects on the nature of bullying, suggesting that those who intimidate others often do so out of a sense of their own inadequacies. By projecting their own flaws onto their victims, bullies strive to exert power and control, illustrating how external behavior can often mask internal struggles. The comparison to Voldemort underscores the extent of this destructive tendency.
Themes
BullyingInsecurityProjectionFearPower
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the nature of bullying in schools.
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.
J. K. RowlingRead
Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?
J. K. RowlingRead
The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.
J. K. RowlingRead
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