Quotes by J. R. R. Tolkien

About J. R. R. Tolkien:

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is best known as the author of the classic high-fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Not all those who wander are lost.

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

Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.

J. R. R. Tolkien

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Short cuts make long delays.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.

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.

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

Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary 'real' world.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Molti tra i vivi meritano la morte. E parecchi che sono morti avrebbero meritato la vita. Sei forse tu in grado di dargliela? E allora non essere troppo generoso nel distribuire la morte nei tuoi giudizi: sappi che nemmeno i più saggi possono vedere...

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

Don't go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or you'll land in trouble too big for you.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Courage is found in unlikely places.

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. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt.

J. R. R. Tolkien

I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them.

J. R. R. Tolkien

'I wish life was not so short,' he thought. 'Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.'

J. R. R. Tolkien

A friend of mine tells that I talk in shorthand and then smudge it.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Still round the corner there may wait, A new road or a secret gate.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Author Bio

  • NameJ. R. R. Tolkien
  • DescriptionBritish philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy works
  • AliasesJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien
  • BornJanuary 3, 1892
  • DiedSeptember 2, 1973
  • CountryUnited Kingdom
  • ProfessionLinguist; Poet; University Professor; Philologist; Novelist; Children's Writer; Translator; Literary Critic; Essayist
  • WorksThe Hobbit; The Lord Of The Rings; The Silmarillion; Tree And Leaf; Roverandom; The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil
  • AwardsCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire; Prometheus Award - Hall Of Fame