Dumbledore tells Harry "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live" (Rowling 214). The third lesson Harry learned was that some desires are personal. Not everyone is willing to share their deepest wants. This was evident when Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw in the mirror and Dumbledore gave an answer that Harry did not believe.

Next Harry learned that some desires are for personal gain, while some people desire to help others. Harry wanting his family and Ron being made head boy and Quidditch captain were obviously personal desires. However, when Harry wanted the Sorcerer's Stone, he wanted it not for himself, but for the good of everyone. Just like when Voldermort was driven away after attacking Harry as a baby, Harry wanted to drive him away again by obtaining the Stone before he would. Dumbledore revealed to Harry that "only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life" (Rowling 300). The Mirror of Erised had a...

Harry learned that he desperately wanted his family, but he couldn't do anything past looking at them in the mirror. Professor Quirrell wanted to have the stone to present to Voldermort, even though it would have been disastrous for witches and wizards everywhere. Dumbledore stated "human do have a knack of choosing precisely those thing that are worst for them" (Rowling 297).
All in all, Harry Potter learned very valuable lessons about the desires of the heart. They can be pure or deceitful, selfish or altruistic. Everyone has desires, even though they may look vastly different from person to person. While it is important to know what the desires are, it is more important not to dwell on the impossible or unthinkable and not "forget to live."

Bibliography

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic, 1997.