Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

Here are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between August 22 and August 28, 2013. All are from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Note that the quotes are from the book, not the movie.

“He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.” Gandalf to Sauruman, after seeing Sauruman’s many-colored robes and hearing his explanation that white light can be broken into many colors.

“Even the most subtle spiders may leave a weak thread.” Gandalf, talking of his captivity by Sauruman.

“It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill.” Elrond, speaking of the treachery of Saruman who was corrupted by such study.

“Nothing is evil in the beginning.” Elrond, speaking of the corrupting influence of the ring.

“You may find friends along the way when you least look for it.” Elrond’s words to Frodo as the fellowship is formed.

“It would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom.” Gandalf, arguing that the desire of Merry and Pippin to join the fellowship should be accepted.

“There must be enough water on the trail for horses.” Tourist Trap, by Sue Ann Bowling. Amber, trying to decide what to do next after she finds herself lost in the wilderness.

Quotes from Tolkien

Here are the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling between July 18 and July 24, 2013. The first six are from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“Time doesn’t seem to pass here, it just is.” Bilbo’s description of Rivendell.

“Someone else always has to carry on the story.” Bilbo to Frodo, after he has seen the ring again and realized what he has let his nephew in for.

“There is naught that you can do other than to resist, with hope or without it.” Elrond at the Council, after Gloin tells of his worries that Bilbo is being sought by Sauron.

“The story still does not seem complete to me.” Bilbo, wanting to know more about Frodo’s flight from the Shire.

“I let the matter rest, watching and waiting only, as we have too often done.” Gandalf at the Council, regretting that he did not immediately put more effort into finding Gollum.

“Treason has ever been our greatest foe.” Gandalf, saying that although his fears about the hobbit’s ring had been awakened 17 years ago, he did not want to start a rumor that might reach Sauron’s ear.

“I’ll try, but I really doubt I can help.” Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap. Roi when Marna asks him to look for something out of the ordinary in her memories of Eversummer.

Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

All but the last quotation are from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“Any sound from behind seemed ominous and unfriendly.” The hobbits in the wilderness after Frodo’s wounding, hearing Glorfindal’s horse on the road behind them. This is another section that was changed drastically in the movie, which does not even have Glorfindal as a character, but has Arwen take his role at this point.

“We needed you. I did not know what to do without you.” Frodo to Gandalf as they meet again at Rivendell.

“There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil.” Gandalf to Frodo at their first meeting at Rivendell, after saying he was held captive.

“You have seen a thing or two since you last peeped out of a looking-glass.” Frodo to his reflection, as he prepares to join the other for dinner at Rivendell.

“Always a bit more to discover, and no knowing what you’ll find around a corner.” Sam to Frodo, trying to describe Rivendell.

“Tongues run on when speaking of their handiwork.” Specifically, Dwarves’ tongues! Frodo has just asked Gloin how things are going with his people.

“There’s no possibility of keeping it secret anymore.” Derik, speaking of Roi’s true status. Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap.

Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

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Here are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling over the period from April 18 through April 24, 2013. All but the last are from The Fellowship of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Note that the quotes are from the book, not the movie, and in fact come from a section left out of the movie.

Map showing the early part of the Fellowship’s journey. This was a foldout in the original edition.

“It does not seem that I can trust anyone.”  Frodo, when he finds out about the hobbit conspiracy.

“You cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word.” Merry, when the hobbits let Frodo know of the conspiracy to watch him and leave the Shire with him.

“Cruel things and kind things, and secrets hidden under brambles.” What Tom Bombadil is talking about to the hobbits.

“Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning: destroyers and usurpers.” Tom Bombadil, explaining how trees feel about people.

“I am no weather-master, nor is aught that goes on two legs.” Tom advising the hobbits that he cannot guarantee the weather.

“Make haste while the sun shines.” Goldberry to the hobbits as they are leaving Tom Bombadil’s cottage, and meant quite literally as it is a bright morning but may not stay as pleasant.

“I never thought of helping a ship through a storm as sexy.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Lai to Marna, as they share minds in preparation for helping a space shuttle get through a storm.

Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

These are the contexts of the quotes tweeted from @sueannbowling March 21-27, 2013. All but the last are from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Note that these quotes are from the book, not the movie.

Map showing the early part of the Fellowship’s journey. This was a foldout in the original edition.

“Home is behind, the world ahead.” Part of a walking song that Bilbo taught Frodo.

“We still remember, we who dwell in this far land beneath the trees.” Part of the Elvish song that drives off the Riders.

“The short cut has gone crooked already.”  Frodo, after the hobbits have left the road to be less visible to the Black Riders. Trouble is, their “short cut” leads them through some pretty rough country—as Pippin warned them.

“A lot goes on behind his round face that does not come out in his talk.” Merry’s comment on Farmer Maggot.

“If you were in a hurry, the road would have served you better.” Farmer Maggot, when Frodo admits their “short cut” landed them in his fields.

“I see you have ideas of your own.” Farmer Maggot to Frodo, after he has told them of the Black Riders and Frodo has been very quiet about them.

“What was wrong with her, that she had forgotten so thoroughly the dangers of her home?” Bowling, Homecoming. After two centuries on the isolation satellite, Marna has forgotten about predators, much less that they will attack her species.

Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

These are the contexts of the quotes that have been tweeted from @sueannbowling from February 21 through February 27.  All but the last are from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Map showing the early part of the hobbits’ journey. This was a foldout in the original edition. The faint gray line follows Frodo.

“This is what I have really been longing for, for years.” Bilbo, as he leaves Bag End with the dwarves on his 111^th birthday.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Frodo in Bag End, after Gandalf has told him that Sauron has returned to Mordor.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Gandalf, speaking to Frodo in Bag End. This entire conversation was moved to Moria in the movie.

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them?” Gandalf, after Frodo has wondered why Bilbo did not kill Gollum when he had a chance. Again, in the book this conversation is in Bag End.

“Even the very wise cannot see all ends.” Continuing on from the last quote, and winding up, “My heart tells me that he has some part to play, for good or ill, before the end.”

“Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow if I can.” Part of a poem recited by Frodo as he sets out with Sam and Pippin. Again, the movie differs from the book.

“What exactly are you doing?” Bowling, “Horse Power.” Roi has observed Timi working around a silkie’s rear end, and questioned him. (Timi is doing pregnancy checks.)

Quotes from Tolkien

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The first six of these quotes, tweeted from @sueannbowling between January 24 and January 30, are from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Note that the quotes and contexts are from the book, not the movie.

“No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.” Bilbo is trying to avoid answering Smaug’s questions without angering him.

“Never laugh at live dragons.” Bilbo’s thought after he makes a parting joke at Smaug’s expense, and barely escapes with his life.

“It is difficult not to slip in talking to a dragon.” Balin trying to comfort Bilbo.

“The heart is bold that looks on gold.” Part of a dwarvish song. I actually prefer a later verse that lacked twitter-length quotes:

On silver necklaces they strung
The light of stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, from twisted wire
The melody of harps they wrung.

“Defeat seems very uncomfortable, not to say distressing.” Bilbo’s thought at the Battle of Five Armies, just before he sees the eagles.

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” Thorin’s dying words to Bilbo.

“Don’t. I’d have to do something about it, and I can’t get along without you.” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Lai to Derik, after Derik has muttered that he’s going to kill Zhaim.

Quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien

These are the quotes that were tweeted from @sueannbowling over the past week, with the contexts given. The first six quotes are from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“Seek the sunlight and the day.” Part of the Elven song as they tip the barrels into the river.

“His speeches at banquets were limited to, ‘Thag you very buch.’” Bilbo arrives at Lake-Town with a very bad cold.

“There is no knowing what a dwarf may do or dare for revenge.” The dwarves are leaving Lake-Town, and the Master still doesn’t believe they are who they say they are.

“It was easier to believe in the dragon and less easy to believe in Thorin in these wild parts.”  The men from Lake-town don’t want to spend any more time than they can help so close to the Mountain.

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations.” Bilbo has managed to steal a cup from Smaug’s horde, but the dragon has discovered the loss.

“He had begun to have ideas and plans of his own.” The journey has had quite an effect on Bilbo.

“What are we supposed to hold on to?” Timi is trying to figure out how to hold on to a flat-headed peccary with its head stuck in a bucket. Tourist Trap, by Sue Ann Bowling.

Quotes from Tolkien

This is the third week I’ve quoted from The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book, just made into a movie, is the source of the quotes I tweeted between Dec 20 and December 25. The one today is from my own work.

“May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” The proper way to say goodbye to an eagle, as Gandalf knows.

“We may meet again before all is over, and then again of course we may not.” Gandalf to the dwarves and Bilbo when he parts from them at the borders of Mirkwood.

“He has more about him than you guess.” Gandalf is speaking to the dwarves about Bilbo.

“There are no safe paths in this part of the world.” A last reminder from Gandalf.

“Dream-dinners aren’t any good, and we can’t share them.” The starving dwarves are complaining when Bilbo tells them of his dream of the elven feast.

“No spider has ever liked being called Attercop.” Bilbo has been taunting the giant spiders, trying to draw them off so he can rescue the dwarves.

“Couldn’t you at least have warned me what to expect?” Sue Ann Bowling, Homecoming. Roi has reacted very badly to controlled dreaming.

Quotes from Tolkien

The first six quotes today are again from The Hobbit, by J.R. R. Tolkien. This is from the original book – I have a feeling they’ll have to put in some additional material to make three films! (Not to mention that Frodo wasn’t even born yet in the original Hobbit.) These quotes have been tweeted from @sueannbowling over the period from December 13 through 19, and today I am putting them in context.

“It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it.” Bilbo has just found the Ring.

“Go back? No good at all. Go sideways? Impossible. Go forward? Only thing to do!” Bilbo pressing on in the goblins’ tunnels.

”Any excuse would do for him to slide out of it.” Bilbo’s thoughts of how unlikely it was that Gollum would keep his promise to show him the way out.

“The wizard never minded explaining his cleverness more than once.” Bilbo was not with the dwarves when Gandalf first explained how he rescued them, but Gandalf has no objection to repeating the story.

“Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves.” Bilbo’s thoughts as he, the dwarves, and Gandalf are all in trees, surrounded by wolves.

“You ought not to be rude to an eagle.” Especially when you’re riding on his back!

“Let’s head for the food.” Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap. Roi is starting to recover from an episode of severe low blood sugar – low enough he has passed out.