150 Best Quotes by J.R.R. Tolkien: Wisdom from Middle-earth and Beyond
Introduction
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was more than just a writer—he was a philologist, professor, and the architect of one of the most beloved fictional universes ever created. Best known for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien's works have inspired generations with their profound wisdom, unforgettable characters, and timeless themes of hope, courage, and the triumph of good over evil.
Born in South Africa and raised in England, Tolkien's experiences in World War I and his deep love of language and mythology shaped his extraordinary literary vision. His creation of Middle-earth, complete with its own languages, histories, and cultures, revolutionized fantasy literature and continues to captivate readers worldwide.
Beyond the epic battles and magical landscapes, Tolkien's writing contains profound insights about the human condition, the nature of power, the importance of friendship, and the enduring strength of hope in the darkest of times. His words resonate far beyond the realm of fantasy, offering guidance and inspiration for our own journeys through life.
This collection of 150 quotes showcases the depth and breadth of Tolkien's wisdom, organized thematically to help you find the perfect words for any moment of your own adventure.
Table of Contents
- Hope and Perseverance
- Courage and Strength
- Wisdom and Knowledge
- Love and Friendship
- Journey and Adventure
- Light and Darkness
- Life Lessons and Philosophy
- Nature and Beauty
Hope and Perseverance
In the darkest moments of his tales, Tolkien always found a way to kindle the flame of hope. These quotes remind us that even in our deepest despair, there is always a reason to continue forward.
"Oft hope is born when all is forlorn." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I have spoken words of hope. But only of hope. Hope is not victory." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The day will bring hope for me," said Aragorn. "Is it not said that no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it?" "So the minstrels say," said Éomer. "Then let us defend it, and hope!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Above all shadows rides the Sun and Stars for ever dwell: I will not say the Day is done, nor bid the Stars farewell." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising I came singing into the sun, sword unsheathing. To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Then hope unlooked-for came so suddenly to Eomer's heart, and with it the bite of care and fear renewed, that he said no more, but turned and went swiftly from the hall." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Ónen i-estel edain, ú-chebin estel anim. (I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept none for myself.)" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Being a cheerful hobbit, he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"He never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"What did I tell you? Something's happening!' cried Sam. 'The war's going well,' said Shagrat; but Gorbag he wasn't so sure. And he was right there too. Things are looking up, Mr. Frodo. Haven't you got some hope now?' 'Well, no, not much, Sam,' Frodo sighed." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. ... I do not believe that darkness will endure!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"There is always hope." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is changing. I can feel it in the water. I can feel it in the earth. I can smell it in the air." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Where there's life there's hope." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Courage and Strength
Tolkien understood that true courage isn't the absence of fear, but the determination to act despite it. These quotes celebrate the brave hearts who stand against overwhelming odds.
"Courage will now be your best defence against the storm that is at hand—that and such hope as I bring." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"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 blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Many are the strange chances of the world,' said Mithrandir, 'and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"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." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The wise speak only of what they know." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Courage is found in unlikely places." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Even the very wise cannot see all ends." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Wisdom and Knowledge
As a professor and philologist, Tolkien valued wisdom and learning. His characters often share profound insights about life, death, and the nature of existence.
"I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The treacherous are ever distrustful." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"But the only measure that he knows is desire for power and so he judges all hearts. Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it that having the Ring we may seek to destroy it. If we seek this we shall put him out of reckoning." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world changes, and all that once was strong now proves unsure." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Not all tears are an evil." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"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." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The board is set, and the pieces are moving." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Short cuts make long delays." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I don't know, and I would rather not guess." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Memory is not what the heart desires. That is only a mirror." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shout of a ruler of fools." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"A traitor may betray himself and do good that he does not intend." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Love and Friendship
Tolkien's works celebrate the bonds between friends and the power of love to overcome even the darkest evil. These quotes honor those connections that make life worth living.
"I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that came down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"'Safely on my way.' 'Safely!' said Sam. 'All alone and without me to help you? I couldn't have borne it, it'd have been the death of me.' 'It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam,' said Frodo, 'and I could not borne that.' 'Not as certain as being left behind,' said Sam. 'But I am going to Mordor.' 'I know that well enough, Mr. Frodo. Of course you are. And I'm coming with you.'" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I want to be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Your time may come. Do not be too sad, Sam. You cannot be always torn in two. You will have to be one and whole, for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be, and to do." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I don't know how to say it, but after last night I feel different. I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can't turn back." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"You can only come to the morning through the shadows." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I will not give you counsel, saying do this, or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing between this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is full of dark and light. Choose light." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The greatest adventure is what lies ahead." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Even the smallest person can change the course of history." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"In sorrow we must go, but not in despair. Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Real names tell you the story of the things they belong to." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Journey and Adventure
Life is a journey, and Tolkien understood this better than most. These quotes capture the spirit of adventure and the transformative power of stepping outside our comfort zones.
"Roads go ever ever on, Over rock and under tree, By caves where never sun has shone, By streams that never find the sea; Over snow by winter sown, And through the merry flowers of June, Over grass and over stone, And under mountains of the moon." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Still round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate And though I oft have passed them by A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"We must take a hard road, a road unforeseen. There lies our hope, if hope it be." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"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 us." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The leaves were long, the grass was green, The hemlock-umbels tall and fair, And in the glade a light was seen Of stars in shadow shimmering." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Adventures make one late for dinner." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Light and Darkness
The eternal struggle between light and darkness is central to Tolkien's work. These quotes explore the nature of good and evil, and the light that shines even in the darkest places.
"For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"This is the ending. Now not day only shall be beloved, but night too shall be beautiful and blessed and all its fear pass away." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"In this Music the singing of the angels in harmony the World was begun; for Iluvatar made visible the song of the Ainur, and they beheld it as a light in the darkness." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The grey-rain curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Struck by lightning! Struck by lightning!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun; and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a Shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"In the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Dawn is ever the hope of men." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The light of the Evenstar does not wax and wane, but is ever present." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Deep roots are not reached by the frost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The darkness is passing." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"In winter's heart, where hope is cold, a light shall spring from courage bold." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is grey, the mountains old, The forge's fire is ashen-cold." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Darkness must pass." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Life Lessons and Philosophy
Tolkien's works are rich with philosophical insights about life, death, power, and what truly matters. These quotes offer timeless wisdom for navigating our own journeys.
"Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?...If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which 'Escape' is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the House of Éorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he comes from, and if he really was evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home, or he would not rather have stayed there... in peace? War will make corpses of us all." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"His rage passes description - the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I will not debate with you Dark Elf. By the swords of the Noldor alone are your sunless woods defended. Your freedom to wander there wild you owe to my kin and but for them long since you would have laboured in thraldom in the pits of Angband. And here I am King and whether you will it or will it not my doom is law. This choice is given to you: abide here or to die here and so also for your son." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy?" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"If you really want to know what Middle-earth is based on, it's my wonder and delight in the earth as it is, particularly the natural earth." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Living by faith includes the call to something greater than cowardly self-preservation." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Little by little, one travels far." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made." - J.R.R. Tolkien
Nature and Beauty
Tolkien had a deep love for the natural world, and his descriptions of Middle-earth's landscapes are some of the most beautiful in all of literature. These quotes celebrate the wonder of nature and the importance of preserving beauty.
"Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars, not if you care for such things." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go To heal my heart and drown my woe Rain may fall, and wind may blow And many miles be still to go But under a tall tree will I lie And let the clouds go sailing by" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the Elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own, for the sound of that laugh had been gay and merry. Yet in the wizard's face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow; though as he looked more intently he perceived that under all there was a great joy: a fountain of mirth enough to set a kingdom laughing, were it to gush forth." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while they still endure for eyes to see, are ever their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Twice blessed is help unlooked for." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world was fair, the mountains tall, In Elder Days before the fall." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Far over the misty mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Spring is ever the hope of the world." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The leaves were long, the grass was green." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Under the Mountain dark and tall The King has come unto his hall!" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"May the stars shine upon your path." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world was young, the mountains green, No stain yet on the Moon was seen." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"I love the great jewels and the beauty of the earth." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The world is changing. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?" - J.R.R. Tolkien
Conclusion
J.R.R. Tolkien's legacy extends far beyond the realm of fantasy literature. Through his masterful storytelling and profound wisdom, he created not just a world of imagination, but a mirror that reflects the deepest truths of our own existence. His quotes remind us that even in the darkest times, hope endures; that the smallest person can make the greatest difference; and that there is beauty and wonder to be found in every corner of our world.
From the cozy hearths of the Shire to the soaring peaks of Gondor, from the timeless halls of Rivendell to the simple wisdom of hobbits, Tolkien's words continue to inspire, comfort, and guide readers around the world. His understanding of the human heart—our fears and hopes, our capacity for both great evil and greater good—speaks to something universal within us all.
As we face our own adventures and challenges, may these 150 quotes serve as a light in dark places, reminding us that we too are part of a greater story, one that began long before us and will continue long after. In Tolkien's own words, "The tale grew in the telling," and so too do our own lives grow richer when we embrace the wisdom, courage, and hope that his words inspire.
Whether you're setting out on a new journey, facing a difficult challenge, or simply seeking beauty in the everyday, remember that you carry within you the same spark that animated Tolkien's heroes. The road goes ever on, and there are still many adventures to be had, many stories to be told, and much beauty yet to discover in this wide and wonderful world.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." May you use your time wisely, courageously, and with hope always kindled in your heart.
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