Eliezer Yudkowsky > Quotes > Quote > Fuentesfan liked it

“You could call it heroic responsibility,
maybe," Harry Potter said. "Not like the usual sort. It means that
whatever happens, no matter what, it's always your fault.
Even if you tell Professor McGonagall, she's not responsible for
what happens, you are. Following the school rules isn't an
excuse, someone else being in charge isn't an excuse, even trying
your best isn't an excuse. There just aren't any excuses, you've
got to get the job done no matter what." Harry's face
tightened. "That's why I say you're not thinking responsibly,
Hermione. Thinking that your job is done when you tell Professor
McGonagall - that isn't heroine thinking. Like Hannah being beat up
is okay then, because it isn't your fault
anymore. Being a heroine means your job isn't finished until you've
done whatever it takes to protect the other girls,
permanently." In Harry's voice was a touch of the steel he
had acquired since the day Fawkes had been on his shoulder. "You
can't think as if just following the rules means you've done your
duty.”
― Eliezer Yudkowsky, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality