Albus Dumbledore's Advice to Hogwarts Graduates

Albus Dumbledore's Advice to Hogwarts Graduates

Wear warm socks.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, warm socks would be it. The long-term benefits of warm socks have been proven by Healers, mothers and old men with cold feet, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own intelligence and experience – although, between you and me, that is saying something.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. When you’re done with that, enjoy the power and beauty of your old age even more. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, by the time you’ve attained a great age, you’ll be wise enough to appreciate it.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to defeat the Dark Lord by eating lemon drops. And not nearly as much fun!

Do one thing every day that scares you. If nothing scares you anymore, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.

Sing. Once you’ve risen to a position where you can get away with it, make up fun new words to a dull old song. Make everyone else learn it and sing it with you. Let them use their own favorite tunes.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Don’t lie to children. You’ll regret it. And yes, leaving out important bits of information does count as lying.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. And the student you were unable to turn from the Dark Side fifty years ago.

Remember compliments you receive. Laugh at the insults. Save your anger for the really important things. Then give it to ’em both barrels!

Keep your old love letters. Keep your new love letters too.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. I was one of them!

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll need them when you have to storm the Ministry in the middle of the night.

Maybe you'll marry your Deputy Headmistress, maybe you won't. Maybe she’s actually your daughter or granddaughter, maybe she isn’t. Maybe she’s a lover, a trusted old friend, your favorite former student or The One That Got Away. Don’t let the fangirls’ interpretations worry you too much.

Enjoy your body. Enjoy your wand. Enjoy the looks on people’s faces as they try to decide whether you meant any double entendre in the word "wand". Enjoy your friends. Enjoy learning. Enjoy lemon drops.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your office. The looks on people’s faces when they walk in and catch you at it are frequently priceless!

Read the directions, then figure out your own way to do it better.

Do not read beauty magazines. You’re more attractive than anyone in them anyway.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings – even the one with the goat fetish.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Better yet, keep in contact with all the old crowd. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography, lifestyle, and species because the older you get, the more you need the beings who knew you when you were young. And you never know when you may need to call them all together again.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Live in Thailand once but leave before you get too addicted to the food. Live in Hawaii once, but leave while you still look good in a grass skirt. Live at Hogwarts once and you’ll never want to leave. Trust me on this.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Dark Lords will rise. Politicians will turn on you. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, nobody was evil, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders. But don’t trust them blindly. Believe me, we’re fallible.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Half the fun in life is discovering what you do best and how to use it to your own – and everyone else’s – best advantage.

Don't mess too much with your hair, but try to keep your beard combed.

Remember that death is the next great adventure. Remember that death is the next great adventure. Focus on this one for a while longer.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. And after your first century, you’ll have LOTS of nostalgia!

But trust me on the socks.