The Harry Potter Series Was More Than Just Entertainment

The books we read and the media we consume growing up shape us in ways we may not even be conscious of. In the case of Harry Potter, we grow and learn alongside the characters as they face challenges in the wizarding world. Whether they're fighting dragons or taking on dementors, the difficulties they experience translate into the real world in curious ways that may not be immediately apparent. Here are 20 life lessons we learned from Harry Potter.

1. Those Who Love Us Never Truly Leave Us

Starting with Lily and James, many characters sadly perish in the Harry Potter series. However, their influence on Harry's life and the lives of those around him never dims.

2. True Friendship Withstands Everything

Think of all Ron, Hermione, and Harry have gone through together. From an early age, they faced things worse than death, lost people close to them, had their hearts broken, cried on each other's shoulders, and had each other's backs through it all.

3. People Aren't Always What They Seem

In the wizarding world as well as in the real world, people, and things, aren't always what they seem. For example, the mean, brooding potions teacher is one of the good guys while the imposing half-giant is a total softy.

4. Death Isn't Something To Be Feared

As Dumbledore says to Harry, "death is but the next great adventure." Instead of being afraid of it or dreading death, see it as the next chapter. After all, it's inevitable.

5. Never Be Ashamed Of Who You Are

Never be ashamed of who you are as Hagrid says to Ron, Hermione, and Harry, "there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” In other words, be yourself. Those who don't like it can get lost.

6. Courage Comes In Many Forms

Harry had to muster a lot of courage to go up against the Dark Lord. However, that's not the only form bravery takes. It also looks like Neville standing up against his friends and Ron facing his biggest fear, spiders.

7. We All Have Light & Dark Inside Us

It's not as simple as some people being good and others bad. We all have both forces inside of us and the potential to go either way, it's up to us to choose and the actions we take that define us.

8. Don't Forget To Live

When Harry was stuck gazing at his deceased parent in the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore came a dropped this piece of wisdom on him. He told Harry not to dwell on dreams and to live his life, something many of us could benefit being reminded of.

9. True Love Lasts

Love is a strong theme throughout the Harry Potter series. The power of Lily's love gave him protection and drew Snape away from the dark side, all well after she died.

10. Face Your Fears

Each of the main characters in the book have to face their fears to move forward, something we all have to do in life. For Hermione it was going face-to-face with a basilisk, for Ron it was spiders, and for Harry, Dementors.

11. Your Choices Are More Important Than Your Abilities

Harry isn't the most skilled wizard by any stretch. However, what he lacks in raw talent, he makes up for with bravery and unwavering sense of what's right.

12. It's Okay To Ask For Help

There are many moments when Harry refrains from asking for help, thinking he can tackle problems by himself. However, time and time again, his friends take initiative and step up with solutions he never would've thought of. They saved his life countless times.

13. Always Stand Up For What's Right

Harry Potter reminds us to always stand up for what's right, even when it's hard. The gang form Dumbledore's Army and The Order Of The Phoenix, putting themselves in dangerous situations to save the wizarding world from falling into the depths of evil.

14. It Doesn't Matter What You Were Born As

Prejudice is a real-life theme that Harry Potter grapples with, from house elves to mudbloods. In the end, they all fight side-by-side, united by their common mission to defeat Voldemort and restore peace.

15. Be Humble

Although he has his flaws, one thing Harry is not is cocky. It's the bad guys like Draco who have that quality and like Dumbledore says, "perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.” Being humble is the quality of a leader.

16. Everyone Deserves A Second Chance

Even the ones who seemingly deserve imminent death, Harry and friends find in their hearts to spare. Snape, Regulus Black, and even Dudley Dursley show that people can redeem themselves.

17. Everyone Makes Mistakes

Not one character in Harry Potter is flawless, even Dumbledore has a dark past. It's a realistic representation of humans and a reminder for one to be gentle with oneself even in the face of failure.

18. You Can Always Find Happiness, Even In The Darkest Of Times

Harry and his friends go through some pretty dark stuff. Nontheless, they always find opportunities for joy, jokes, and fun.

19. Kindness Is Powerful

One thing Harry and his friends never cease to remind us of is the power of kindness. Look at Hagrid and his love for magical creatures and Harry's compassion for Kreacher.

20. Money Isn't Everything

Harry is born into wealth which he discovers when he enters the wizarding world at age 11. On the flip side, Ron's family is poor, but rich in love which Harry admires and covets. For him, having a family would be much more valuable than piles of gold.