8 Quotes by Mark Eddy Smith

But none of us are called to sacrifice others to safeguard ourselves, no matter how important we may seem. The proper position of leadership is in front, partaking in the dangers of the lowliest of soldiers. This is what Jesus did, and it is the height of foolishness. May we, in our weakness, be granted to access such heights.

The main thing we can learn from The Lord of the Rings is that we who are in a position to save the world (by which I mean all of us) do so primarily to save our friends.

It isn't that Gandalf thinks the Shire is not worth looking after, but rather that in order for any land to be kept from utter darkness for many ages to come, the quest to destroy the ring must succeed, and in the darkness into which they are all walking, it is better to trust to the loyalty of friends than to the power of well-meaning strangers

Galadriel gives each of the companions a gift before they leave Lothlorien, but it may be that her greatest and most perilous gift was given upon their first meeting. Temptation, succesfully overcome, strengthens the will, but succumbing to temptation, even in thought, leads to evil

Strength is not created by adversity; it is merely awakened by it.

Atonement does not always directly help the one we have sinned against. It does not always help anyone at all. Had Boromir run of with Aragorn, he could have been of greater help in tracking the orcs after Merry and Pippin were captured than he was in giving his life to defend them.

He has done the best he could in a difficult situation, and his conscience is clean. It is far more important to be trustworthy than to seem trustworthy, a lesson he learnt from a lanky man named Strider long ago

Anyone can suffer but it takes a stout heart to suffer well. Pippin never loses his simple Hobbit sense, nor does he succumb to the temptation to use his suffering as an excuse to sully himself