There are only a few books that I’ve read that I read more than once, but Tolkien is an author who’s work I cannot help but return to. There is a lot of wisdom packed into those pages that consistently brings me back, and continues to shape my worldview. Below I’ve collected several of my favorite quotes from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion.
“All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.” – The Silmarillion
“But do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.” – The Lord of the Rings
Frodo: “… I wish none of this had happened. Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.” – The Lord of the Rings
“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.” – The Lord of the Rings
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.” – The Lord of the Rings
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” – The Hobbit
“Where there’s life there’s hope.” – The Hobbit
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – The Hobbit
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” – The Hobbit
“To him that is pitiless the deeds of pity are ever strange and beyond comprehension.” – The Silmarillion
“Who knows? Have patience. Go where you must go, and hope!” – The Lord of the Rings
“Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.” – The Lord of the Rings
“Elves and Dragons! I says to him. Cabbages and potatoes are better for me and you.” – The Lord of the Rings
Frodo: “He deserves death.”
Gandalf: “Deserves it! I daresay he does. 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.” – The Lord of the Rings
Do you have a favorite Tolkien quote? Let us know in the comments below.