It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, ch. 12 (1997)
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- Published in 1997, at the Mirror of Erised.
- Why
- Harry has found a mirror showing his dead parents and has been returning to it nightly.
What it means
The mirror shows what the viewer most wants, and Dumbledore's warning is that this is a trap rather than a gift.
The reason he gives is precise: men have wasted away in front of it, unable to tell whether what it shows is possible. A wish rendered vividly enough stops prompting action and starts substituting for it.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
Read the source
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997
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