I’m excited to be re-reading these books as it has been a long while since I have. It always strikes me how different the books and the movie adaptation are. Even for something as well done as these movies. One that I noticed was that the sword is reforged 2/3 of the way through fellowship of the ring instead of in the last movie. I hold no ill will as I believe Peter Jackson is amazing, and his renditions of these 3 along with the 3 produced for The Hobbit were amazingly and beautifully done. Super excited to finish the trilogy and re-read the Hobbit (which sits at #10).
Another is the iconic line of “You shall not pass!” when in fact in the book it reads “You cannot pass!” and if that doesn’t surprise you, well… then you’ve obviously read the book.
One Ring to rule the all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to rule them all
And in the Darkness bind them,
In the land of Mordor
Where the shadows lie.
In all honesty, there may not be a more iconic quote from this book. Everyone seems to know just exactly you are talking about when it is mentioned. I couldn’t resist mentioning it.
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you judge them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” -Gandalf
Anyone that has read the book or seen the movie knows that this quote applies to Gollum although it is said way sooner in the book than in the movie.
It has a certain wisdom about it. If you cannot pass judgement on someone then who are you to deal out punishment. It has gotten me thinking of another quote, not from this book.
“”When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”” -John 8:7
It may not exactly be the same as what Gandalf says but it may have the same intentions. How can you judge someone for their crimes when you are equally as guilty.
“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.”
The first line is heavily quoted by the younger generation without even knowledge of where it comes from. I’ve come across several people (4) that have it tattooed on them and yet don’t know the source. Which is fine, it is their prerogative to do so. I have nothing against tattoos, having two myself, but believe you should at least put in a little research before you tattoo something permanent on your body.
Aside all of that, it is a great line. It serves as a reminder that some things that are not wealth are desirable. Even things you cannot see such as love, family, or friendship. Those things mean more than even gold. And yet, they are still desired above all. If offered the choice of eternal wealth but you must be alone from that point on, who would take that deal?
“White!” He sneered. “It serves as a beginning. White cloth May be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.” -Saruman
This quote had me thinking about perfection, symbolized by the “white” in this sentence. As he says white is easy to overwrite or changed.
It seems to me that there can be no perfection in this world, everyone makes mistakes. It dyes your white cloth many colors. Agonizing over your mistakes gives that color vibrancy and darkens the cloth. I think that as one struggles through life your cloth acquires color and becomes a piece of art. Your mistakes, your path, it makes you who you are and without them you may be an entirely different person.
“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.” -Haldir
There is both light and dark in this world, our world. You can choose to focus on just the darkness or just the light. Focusing on the darkness can lead to depression or helplessness maybe even fear of leaving the house and going into the world (Agoraphobia). When you focus on just the good it leads to naivety. You must realize both. Yes, there are terrible things in this world. There are also those that work to help people and to make the world a better place. You cannot be oblivious to the darkness or you will be swallowed by it.
“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” -Sam
Some good encouragement from Sam, the precious little cinnamon roll. You can’t finish something if you never start it, it just sits there undone. You miss all the shots you don’t take, You can’t hit a ball if you don’t swing, etc.
I personally am a list type of person, obviously. I like to have everything laid out where I can see it. Otherwise I forget. I like having a list to work my way down and checking things off when completed. It’s essentially what got me into bullet journaling. Getting organized allows me to start all the jobs I haven’t finished yet.
One thing that also always blows me away are the gorgeous maps included in the book. How can you not be amazed by it?
The fact that he created a whole world, and even a whole language amazes me. Especially one so aesthetically beautiful.
100 Books To Read Before You Die 