The first full week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week, during which we honor the educators who have made a positive difference in our lives. At Writer’s Relief we’re also celebrating fictional teachers we admire. Here are some of our favorite quotes by teachers we’ve met in the pages of books!

“Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!”

—Ms. Frizzle

The Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole

“What are you waiting for, Carrie? Doom? Bell in five minutes.”

—Miss Desjardin

Carrie by Stephen King

“I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in.”

—Professor Minerva McGonagall

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

“This world would be a much more interesting place…although it is very interesting, anyhow…if people spoke out their real thoughts.”

—Anne Shirley

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

“Because we are playing with mysterious forces, my child, that we know nothing about. I do not think they are evil. They may be good. They may even be divine. But whether they are or not, let us handle them carefully.”

—Miss Honey

Matilda by Roald Dahl

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.”

—Professor Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

“This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you you’ve never dared look at before. Where you can touch that part of you you’ve never dared look at before.”

—Mr. Freeman

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

“It is the quality of one’s convictions that determines success, not the number of followers.”

—Professor Remus Lupin

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

“And that’s it; that’s why I want to teach; that’s the one and only compensation: to make a permanent difference in the life of a child.”

—Sylvia Barrett

Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman

QUESTION: What’s your favorite quote by a fictional teacher? Tell us in the comments!