12 Fantasy Book Quotes That Have Helped Us Cope With Mental Illness

After the headmaster of a private school in England wrote a blog claiming fantasy books put children at risk for developing mental illnesses, many have spoken out in disagreement, sharing how fantasy books helped them cope with mental health issues.

Reading is an escape — a healthy one at that, and some of the “dark themes” the headmaster claims are in these books might actually show children going through a difficult time they are not alone. Because like most books, although there is some darkness, in the end goodness and light always win.

Here are some of our favorite quotes from both children and adult fantasy books that inspire us to take care of our mental health:

1. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” — Albus Dumbledore from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” by J.K. Rowling

2. “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” –Tyrion Lannister from “A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin

3. “’I know how you feel,’ I said. ‘You run into something you totally don’t get, and it’s scary as hell. But once you learn something about it, it gets easier to handle. Knowledge counters fear. It always has.’” — “Dead Beat” by Jim Butcher

4. “Better not to give in to it. It takes 10 times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” — Finnick Odair from “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

5. “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.” — Sam Gamgee from “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” by J.R.R. Tolkien

6. “The enemy is always in the mind.” — Yeste from “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman

7. “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light.” – Albus Dumbledore from “Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban” by J.K. Rowling

8. “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.” — from “The Fellowship of The Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien

9. “Even nothing cannot last forever.” — from “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman

10. “I don’t understand it any more than you do, but one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” — Mrs. Murry from “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle

11. “You cannot change what you are, only what you do.” — Philip Pullman, “The Golden Compass”

12. “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” ― Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll

Is there a fantasy book quote that’s helped you through your mental illness? Tell us in the comments below.