The Quotable Tolkien

[TolkienFan]

Post any quotes you like from Tolkien from anything he wrote. Just please cite where it came from. Page numbers are optional since there are several versions of Tolkien's most popular works.

Both of these come from The Hobbit:

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

“‘They are making songs which say that in his day the rivers run with gold.’
‘Then the prophecies of the old songs have turned out to be true after a fashion!’ said Bilbo.
‘Of course!’ said Gandalf. ‘And why should not they prove true? Surely you don’t disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!’”
'Thank goodness!' said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar."

[One Bad Pig]

IIRC "Leaf, by Niggle" has some good stuff in it. I'm not sure where my copy is at the moment, though.

[TolkienFan]

IIRC "Leaf, by Niggle" has some good stuff in it. I'm not sure where my copy is at the moment, though.

Here's one:

Leaf by Niggle:

"'Could you tell me the name of this country?'
'Don't you know?' said the man. 'It is Niggle's Country. It is Niggle's Picture, or most of it: a little of it is now Parish's Garden.'
'Niggle's Picture!' said Parish in astonishment. 'Did [I]you[I] think of all this, Niggle? I never knew you were so clever. Why didn't you tell me?'
'He treid to tell you long ago,' said the man; 'but you would not look. He had only got canvas and paint in thsoe days, and you wnated to mend your roof with them. This is what you and your wife used to call Niggle's Nonsense, or That Daubing.'
'But it did not look like this then, not real,' said Parish.
'No, it was only a glimpse then,' said the man; 'but you might have caught the glimpse, if you had ever thought it worth while to try.'"

[Manwë Súlimo]

Okay, I can tell right off that I'm going to have a ton of posts here. For starters, the most epic of epic last stands in literature. "Of the Fifth Battle", The Silmarillion:



But now in the western battle Fingon and Turgon were assailed by a tide of foes thrice greater than all the force that was left to them. Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs, high-captain of Angband, was come; and he drove a dark wedge between the Elvenhosts, surrounding King Fingon, and thrusting Turgon and Hurin aside towards the Fen of Serech. Then he turned upon Fingon. That was a grim meeting. At last Fingon stood alone with his guard dead about him; and he fought with Gothmog, until another Balrog came behind and cast a thong of fire about him. Then Gothmog hewed him with his black axe, and a white flame sprang up from the helm of FIngon as it was cloven. Thus fell the High King of the Noldor; and they beat him into the dust with their maces, and his banner, blue and silver, they trod into the mire of his blood.

The field was lost; but still Hurin and Huor and the remant of the house of Hador stood firm with Turgon of Gondolin, and the hosts of Morgoth could not yet win the Pass of Sirion. Then Hurin spoke to Turgon, saying: "Go now, lord, while time is! For in you lives the last hope of the Eldar, and while Gondolin stands Morgoth shall still know fear in his heart."

But Turgon answered: "Not long now can Gondolin be hidden; and being discovered it must fall."

Then Huor spoke and said: "Yet if it stands but a little while, then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here forever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and from me a new star shall rise. Farewell!"

And Maeglin, Turgon's sister-son, who stood by, heard the words, and did not forget them; be he said nothing.

Then Turgon took the councel of Hurin and Huor, and summoning all that remained of the host of Gondolin and such of Fingon's people as could be gathered he retreated towards the Pass of Sirion; and his captains Ecthelion and Glorfindel guarded the flanks to right and left, so that none of the enemy should pass them by. But the Men of Dor-lomin held the rearguard, as Hurin and Huor desired; for they did not wish in their hearts to leave the Northlands, and if they could not win back to their homes, there they would stand to the end. Thus was the treachery of Uldor redressed; and of all the deeds of war that the fathers of Men wrought in behalf of the Eldar, the last stand of the Men of Dor-lomin is more renowned.

So it was that Turgon fought his way southward, until coming behind the guard of Hurin and Huor he passed down Sirion and escaped; and he vanished into the mountains and was hidden from the eyes of Morgoth. But the brothers drew the remnant of the Men of the house of Hador about them, and foot by foot they withdrew, until they came behind the Fen of Serech, and had the stream of Rivil about them. There they stood and gave way no more.

Then all the hosts of Angband swarmed against them, and they bridged the stream with their dead, and encircled the remnant of Hithlum as a gathering tide about a rock. There as the sun westered on the sixth day, and the shadow of Ered Wethrin grew dark, Huor fell pierced with a venomed arrow in his eye, and all the valiant Men of Hador were slain about him in a heap; and the Orcs hewed their heads and piled them as a mound of gold in the sunset.

Last of all Hurin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew, Hurin cried: "Aurë entuluva! Day shall come again!" Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive, by the command of Morgoth, for the Orcs grappled with him with their hands, which clung to him still though he hewed off their arms; and ever their numbers were renewed, until at last he fell buried beneath them. Then Gothmog bound him and dragged him to Angband with mockery.

Thus ended Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, as the sun went down beyond the sea. Night fell in Hithlum, and there came a great storm of wind out of the West.

[lee_merrill]

LOTR

She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. 'I pass the test,' she said, 'I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.'

© source where applicable

[TolkienFan]

Again from The Hobbit, what turns out to be an incredibly significant event in the history of Middle-earth:

“He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.”

[TolkienFan]

From the Introduction to Fellowship of the Ring:

“Yet it is clear that Hobbits had, in fact, lived quietly in Middle-earth for many long years before other folk became even aware of them. And the world being after all full of strange creatures beyond count, these little people seemed of very little importance. But in the days of Bilbo, and of Frodo his heir, they suddenly became, by no wish of their own, both important and renowned and troubled the counsels of the Wise and the Great.”

[TolkienFan]

Do my fellow Tolkien fans have nothing more to add?

Fellowship of the Ring:

“‘Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.’
‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’”

[lee_merrill]

One of my favorite parts in LOTR is the Cat and the Fiddle song! and a quote:

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

[TolkienFan]

One of my favorite parts in LOTR is the Cat and the Fiddle song! and a quote:

Now quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.

That's one of my favorite songs from the books too. I also like this poem:

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 the blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

Also, here's one of the best of countless passages that refute the silly notion that Tolkien's mythology is morally simplistic:

“Even Gollum was not wholly ruined. He had proved tougher than even one of the Wise would have guessed—as a hobbit might. There was a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as through a chink in the dark: light out of the past. It was actually pleasant, I think, to hear a kindly voice again, bringing up memories of wind, and trees, and sun on the grass, and such forgotten things.”

(Both of the above are again from Fellowship of the Ring.)

[lee_merrill]

Also, here's one of the best of countless passages that refute the silly notion that Tolkien's mythology is morally simplistic:

“Even Gollum was not wholly ruined..."

Yes, and there was Borimir, and his father, even. In this regard, I like Gandalf's rebuke:

"The rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?" (Lord of the Rings)

And for poems, I might add this one:

Gil-galad was an Elven-king.
Of him the harpers sadly sing:
the last whose realm was fair and free
between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen,
his shining helm afar was seen;
the countless stars of heaven's field
were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,
and where he dwelleth none can say;
for into darkness fell his star
in Mordor where the shadows are.

Understatement! very effective here.

[TolkienFan]

More from Fellowship, among the more famous quotes:

“Behind that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you were also meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.”

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many—yours not least.”

Two others not quite so famous:

“Frodo drew the ring out of his pocket again and looked at it. It now appeared plain and smooth, without mark or device that he could see. The gold looked very fair and pure, and Frodo thought how rich and beautiful was its colour, how perfect was its roundness. It was an admirable thing and altogether precious. When he took it out he had intended to fling it from him into the very hottest part of the fire. But he found now that he could not do so, not without a great struggle. He weighed the Ring in his hand, hesitating, forcing himself to remember all that Gandalf had told him; and then with an effort of will he made a movement, as if to cast it away—but he found that he had put it back in his pocket.”

“‘I wish I had never seen the Ring! Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?’
‘Such questions cannot be answered,’ said Gandalf. ‘You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom, at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.’”

[TolkienFan]

Manwe? Brandalf? Where are you guys?

“‘You do not understand!’ said Pippin. ‘You must go—and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon’s throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet’ but you will need more than one companion in your dangerous adventure.’
‘My dear and most beloved hobbits!’ said Frodo deeply moved. ‘But I could not allow it. I decided that long ago, too. You speak of danger, but you do not understand. This is no treasure-hunt, no there-and-back journey. I am flying from deadly peril into deadly peril.’
‘Of course we understand,’ said Merry firmly. ‘That is why we have decided to come. We know the Ring is no laughing matter; but we are going to do our best to help you against the Enemy....We are horribly afraid—but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.'”

[Darth Executor]

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many—yours not least.”

Gandalf then proceeded to kill a few hundred orcs just because they looked at him the wrong way.

[lee_merrill]

Gandalf then proceeded to kill a few hundred orcs just because they looked at him the wrong way.

Yes, but when an orc looks at you the wrong way, you'd better be ready with a blade! Perhaps you know this from experience...