17 Harry Potter Quotes for Feminists

Harry Potter might be named for its male protagonist, but the Harry Potter series brought us some of the fiercest female characters of all time: Minerva McGonagall, Molly Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Nymphadora Tonks, and everyone's favorite insufferable know-it-all, Hermione Granger.

These witches aren't just your stereotypical strong female characters, either. They're each different, with their own strengths and flaws — Luna is a bit out-to-lunch, but still kind and courageous. Ginny can get hotheaded, but she makes up for it with loyalty and nerve. And Hermione is the smartest witch of her year and as brave as any Gryffindor, but she can also be ruthless and intensely stubborn. They're all every bit the equal of their wizard classmates, and they're all well-rounded characters to boot. J.K. Rowling's girls all feel real, or as real as you can get at a school for witchcraft and wizardry.

Even the boys can be refreshingly feminist, when they're not desperately trying to get a date to the Yule Ball. Harry and Ron are meat-headed teenagers sometimes, but they also seem perfectly happy to admit that Hermione's the most talented when it comes to magic (which may just be a ploy to get her to help with their homework, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt).

The women of Harry Potter were always there to remind us that girls can cast Bat-Bogey Hexes just as well (if not better) than boys can. So here are some choice quotes for when you're fed up with the non-magical patriarchy:

1. "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have."

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."

— Kingsley Shacklebold, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

3. "Oh I see, so basically, you’re going to take the best-looking girl who’ll have you, even if she’s completely horrible?"

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

4. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!"

— Fleur Delacour, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

5. "Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people’s."

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

6. "I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

— Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

7. "Just because it’s taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

8. "'Yeah, size is no guarantee of power,' said George. 'Look at Ginny.'"

— Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

9. "Quidditch! Is that all boys care about? Cormac hasn’t asked me one single question about myself, no, I’ve just been treated to ‘A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen’ nonstop!"

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

10. "Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first — SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again."

—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

11. "Let’s get this straight once and for all. It’s none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them."

— Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

12. "You’ve got the right to wages and holidays and proper clothes, you don’t have to do everything you’re told."

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

13. "The truth is that you don’t think a girl would have been clever enough!"

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

14. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

15. "I notice I’m always the one who ends up sorting out the food, because I’m a girl, I suppose!"

— Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

16. "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."

— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

17. "Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."

— Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Images: Warner Bros., Giphy (17)