J.K. Rowling Quotes
Writer
J.K. Rowling was writer from Great Britain
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”— J.K. Rowling
Rowling said this at her 2008 Harvard commencement speech about the benefits of failure. She meant the mid-1990s: divorced single mother on welfare in Edinburgh, clinically depressed, with nothing but a half-finished manuscript. The point is practical: when you lose everything you feared losing, the fear itself disappears. You stop hedging. You build from the only thing left, the truth of what you actually want.
The Story of J.K.
Beyond the Books
Rowling founded the Volant Charitable Trust and co-founded Lumos, working to end child institutionalization worldwide. She donated so much she fell off the Forbes billionaire list. In 2013, she published a crime novel as Robert Galbraith to test if she could succeed without the Potter name. Her 2008 Harvard speech remains one of the most-watched commencement addresses in history.
Related Mentors
More inspiring creativity figures
Get daily motivation from J.K. Rowling and 500+ other mentors matched to your struggles.
Download Free AppLast updated: