Lord of the Rings: Memorable Quotes

"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."

"Home is behind. The world ahead and there are many paths to tread. Through shadow to the edge of night until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow. Cloud and shade. All shall fade. All shall... fade. "

"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow."

"I can't do this Sam," said Frodo. "I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. 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? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something." "What are we holding on to Sam?" asked Frodo. "That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for."

"They cursed us. Murrrderer they called us. They cursed us! And we wept. We wept, to be so alone. And we forgot the taste of bread... the sound of trees... the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name. My prrreciousss. " (Gollum)

"Here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea, comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." (Gandalf the White, at the Grey Havens)

Inspiration

There are treasures beyond compare in the ocean. If you seek safety stay ashore. --Sufi saying

There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight.

The place for those who passed

How can she be happy if she forgets? Where is that place inside a person where those who passed on through one’s life are laid in peace; forgotten and lost in time and memory? What kind of heart would forget; what kind of mind would keep a person, flesh-and-blood and true, unremembered? If time heals all wounds, if time heals this wound, then time is indeed cruel and merciless. Is it so strange that some people would not let go of even the saddest times, as long as they had the reminiscence of a person? Is it so strange that sometimes, even if time moves on, that there’s no need for forgetfulness? Deep inside she knows there is no turning back on this memory; it is a shadow that will always engulf her being, and will always be hidden beneath her skin and her not-so-happy smile. She will travel, move along the shores of time, she will roam the world even but a time will come when she would be alone, when the world has hushed, and the lights are down… when there is no moon or sun in the skies. She will not choose to forget. She will sit down and delve in the memory; she will embrace it. For without it, without him, the night would be missing the stars. Without it, the heavens will be an endless black... like a menace dawning on her. The stars are what make the shaded space beautiful, worth the watch and the memory.-- Pakinam Amer

The Lovliest and Saddest Landscape in the World

"...Now my sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say, not entirely. But I know that he did go back to his planet, because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body... and at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells... But there is one extraordinary thing... when I drew the muzzle for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep.
So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet? Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower... At one time I say to myself: "Surely not! The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night, and he watches over his sheep very carefully..." Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars.
But at another time I say to myself: "At some moment or other one is absent-minded, and that is enough! On some one evening he forgot the glass globe, or the sheep got out, without making any noise, in the night..." And then the little bells are changed to tears... Here, then, is a great mystery.
For you who also love the little prince, and for me, nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere, we do not know where, a sheep that we never saw has eaten a rose... Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves: is it yes or no?
Has the sheep eaten the flower? And you will see how everything changes... And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance! This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page, but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared. Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognise it in case you travel some day to the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back."-- Antoine de Saint Exupery (The Little Prince).

The Little Space Within the Heart

"The little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun and the moon and the stars. Fire and lightening and winds are there, and all that now is and all that is not. "