The novel of John Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings” is a cult book in world literature of the mid-twentieth century. A few years after the publication of the trilogy, fan clubs and role communities began to open. What caused such a stir?
The readers fell in love with Tolkien not so much because of the plot, fairy tales, elaborate characters or a well-built mythological system, but thanks to deep thoughts. The replicas of the heroes have long diverged into aphorisms and quotes that are close to every person living on earth.
What the Lord of the Rings book says
The writer always says that he is really dear, he puts thoughts and ideas into his work that he wants to share with readers. John Tolkien was no exception.
The main topics of The Lord of the Rings, which can be distinguished after meeting her, are:
- friendship is a source of support in life (Frodo and Sam);
- absolute power enslaves and pushes for crazy actions (Sauron and the Ring of power);
- the theme of death and immortality (Aragorn and Arwen);
- the happiness of life lies in the labor, love and warmth of the hearth (Hobbitania, Sam and Rosie);
- the theme of love for the native land and its protection from enemies (protection of Hobbitania and the whole of Middle-earth);
- a small man, meaningless in the world, is able to save peoples from the tyranny of evil (the little hobbit Frodo Baggins goes to Mordor to destroy the power ring).
When serious is combined with frivolous
The quotes from The Lord of the Rings abound in both humor and thoughtful conclusions. In the second part of the book “Two Fortresses,” the hobbits say a joking phrase:
While you live, you hope. And you want to eat.
To readers, this quote from The Lord of the Rings seems funny, but it is very sincere and truthful.
Even the frivolous statements of the heroes are saturated with serious worldly wisdom, and sometimes even irony:
All hobbits, of course, know how to cook - they are taught this earlier than reading and writing (which, it happens, they don’t teach).
Serious quotes from The Lord of the Rings include several thematic blocks:
- If something is too much for you, do not get down to business:
To use a thing in which wisdom is invested that is far superior to your own is always disastrous.
- Freedom and lack of freedom:
He who does not know how to part with his treasures in an hour of need is not free.
- Worldly Wisdom:
I will not persuade you not to cry, because tears are not always bad.
- Pride is a bad adviser, you have to run away from it:
Pride, in difficult times, rejects both help and advice, is truly meaningless and insane.
- Love becomes stronger in trials:
The world is really full of dangers, and it has a lot of dark, but a lot of beautiful. There is no place where love would not be overshadowed by grief, but does it not only get stronger from this?
- Despair in serious matters leads to defeat:
Defeat inevitably awaits only one who despaired in advance.
- People cannot choose their fate:
And to me, too, and to everyone who lived to such times. But we are not given a choice. We can only decide how to manage our time.
Quotes from the Lord of the Rings movie
The film adaptation of the movie trilogy in Hollywood became a holiday for lovers of creativity. The film, of course, is different from the book, but the storyline is preserved.
The quotes from The Lord of the Rings are full of humor and unobtrusive worldly wisdom that celebrates courage and willingness to give your life for others.
Here are a few quotes:
If we have an end, let them meet death in such a way that legends tell about it.
There are things that time cannot heal; some wounds go so deep that they never heal.
Anyone can change their future if they want.
The wise wizard Gandalf
One of the main characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the magician Gandalf the Gray. As conceived by Tolkien, this hero embodies wisdom and ancient knowledge.
Gandalf’s quotes from The Lord of the Rings aim to comprehend the truths that lie on the surface, but people don’t see, hear, or think about them.
When the fraternity of the ring falls into Moria, Frodo sees that they are being watched by a strange creature named Gollum. Frodo says with pity to Gandalf that Bilbo (Uncle Frodo) did not kill this slippery creature, although it deserves to die. The magician’s reaction was lightning fast:
Right. Deserves it. And not only him. Many of the living deserve death, and many of the dead deserve life. Can you give her back to them? That's the same. Then do not rush to condemn death. No one, even the wisest of the wise, is given to see all the intricacies of fate.
People cannot decide whom to keep alive and who to kill, and even the worst enemy can help the victory of good.
In another quote from The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, answering the question of the hobbit Peregrine Took in the besieged Minas Tirith, speaks with confidence about the existence of life after death:
The end!? No, our path does not end in death. Death is a continuation of the path drawn by everyone. Gray as rain, the veil of this world will open and a silvery window will open. And you will see ... White shores, and beyond them distant green hills under the rising sun.
Here we see Christian motives. People are eternal, and death is not afraid of every living person, because this is not the end, but the beginning of an interesting journey.
We are not called to improve the world and in the answer only for that time in which we had a chance to live - we should weed out harmful weeds and leave clean arable fields to descendants. We cannot leave them good weather.
In the words of Gandalf, Tolkien expresses his own ideas and thoughts. One of these points of view of the author suggests that we cannot stop evil - he has many minions. We are responsible only for our time, and we are required to leave the next generation good soil to continue life on earth.