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QOTD: LOTR Quotes for Everyday Life
I’ve recently decided to become a Lord of the Rings fan.
I was in late middle school and high school when the LOTR movies came out. My dad took me to see all of them in theaters — and then I never watched them again. I was a casual fan at first, I would say, but in my high school homeschool community, you were a Lord of the Rings fan or you were a Star Wars fan — and I was a die-hard Star Wars fan.
It’s now been over 10 years since I graduated high school, and for whatever reason, I wanted to give the trilogy another shot. However, I didn’t just want to watch the movies on my own. For one thing, I knew I had to watch the extended editions. (I may not have known the king of Rohan’s name, but I was still aware that those are the only versions of these films that you are allowed to watch.) For another thing, I love trivia, and when I get into a new fandom, I want to know all the facts and all the behind-the-scenes information. Therefore, I needed to watch with someone who would make me excited about the movies — who would, actually, make me a fan. I was blessed enough to find someone in my Sunday school class who is maybe the biggest LOTR fan I’ve ever met and who not only gave me behind-the-scenes tidbits, but who also stopped the movies multiple times to explain things to me and answer my questions.
So how does this tie in with the quote of the day? Well, I love to find quotes from movies and TV shows that I can use in my everyday conversations (not that I usually remember to do it, but I still love to find them). I’ve picked out a few quotes from the LOTR movies that I found particularly good for this, and I thought I would share them and the situations I think they would work best in!
Gandalf: A wizard is never late … nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.
I don’t know if anyone recalls my post about tardiness, but yes, I’m still working on it (hey, it takes a while to unlearn an ingrained habit, and I’ve made a lot of progress). Anyway, this is a good quote to use if anyone remarks about how you are late to an event or a meeting, or even dinner!
Boromir: One does not simply walk into Mordor.
This one’s pretty well known since it’s a meme, but replace “walk into Mordor” with anything people think they can do easily but you know will take more time/effort/resources/planning/whatever, and you’re good to go!
Gandalf: Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
I doubt if people often give secret objects to others these days, but this would also be good for when you simply loan something to someone else. Bonus points if you go back later and ask, “Is it secret? Is it safe?” Ask with enough urgency, and it might make them nervous — and more likely to take good care of whatever you loaned them.
Aragorn: You have my sword.
Use this to add a little whimsy when someone needs help and you offer to assist. (Just make sure it’s in a setting where no one will take it the wrong way and think you’re threatening them, of course.)
Aragorn: Let’s hunt some orc.
Perfect for those moments that need a little extra motivation before starting an important task or going on a long journey!
Gandalf: Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.
I can’t wait to use this when I tell someone goodbye. They’ll either get a good chuckle or be really confused.
Legolas: They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard!
This is another memed quote, but I think it’s a great one to throw in when you have a sudden realization. An LOTR quote along the lines of Star Wars’ “Look sir, droids!”
Legolas: A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night.
Much more fun to say than “Red sky in morning, sailors take warning,” and much more mysterious.
Gimli: Don’t tell the elf.
Pretty obvious, but when people see something embarrassing happen to you, you can say this to let them know how seriously you expect them to keep it quiet.
Frodo: We are bound to an errand of secrecy.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have the time or the desire to explain myself when I’m on my way somewhere. But people still ask! The next time people ask you what you’re doing or where you’re going, this will stop their questions without you having to give any real answers.
Gandalf: Three days’ ride, as the Nazgûl flies.
This is the perfect answer to any question of how long it will take to get somewhere. Also more fun than “as the crow flies.”
Published in Group Writing
Terrible doesn’t suffice to describe what Peter Jackson did to the The Hobbit.
“There is no curse in Elvish, Entish or the tongues of men for such treachery.”
There’s another quote for you Ali.
I was once listening to Thomas Howard speak and it was his opinion that Tom Bombadill represented the unfallen Adam. A state of innocence, which is why the Ring carries no temptation for him.
You always have words of wisdom, but this is one of your best yet.
From the perspective of a film though- cutting it makes sense. It happens after the war, and we’ve already gone through setup, confrontation, and resolution through the three films, focused largely on the war and journey to destroy the ring. The idea of having this event happen removed from the main story and long after- it would be as if we got a 45 minute long short film tacked on after the credits rolled. It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not certain I like it even in the book, but certainly it would have been odd to portray in the film simply to tell a moral lesson.
Except Rankin and Bass.
Lol yes – a friend showed this to me, and it’s fantastic!
Ah, yes, I had heard of Tom Bombadil, but knew nothing about him before this post (at least, nothing I remembered).
That reminds me of how the Return of the King movie says the journey took 13 months. The friend who was showing me the movies said it was really 17 years.
Ooh thank you for the tip about the Trivial Pursuit game!
“Shall I get you a box?” was one of my favorite quotes after watching the movies. :)
Thank you! :)
Thank you! :)
That’s a good balance.
Haha I would like to read the books – and I have The Hobbit, which was already on my TBR list. What I would really like is to find good audio versions of the books, but it appears that most of what’s available are dramatizations, not unabridged audiobooks.
Lol, I have not – I’d really like to listen to some good audiobooks of them, if anyone has any suggestions of where to find them.
I like Star Trek, as well – although I’ve mostly watched the movies, not the shows (and yes, I am talking about the movies with William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, not the ones with Chris Pine – although I have seen those, too).
I have not seen the Hobbit movies because I refuse to watch them until I’ve read the book. I have heard they’re quite different, which is even more reason to read the book first, I think.
I definitely prefer Kirk to Picard, myself.
What a good idea! Hopefully I can purchase copies by then so I can join in the tradition!
Well, now I have to read the books just for this!
I did start reading Fellowship in 9th grade, but it seemed like all they were doing was walking around in the woods and occasionally stopping in pubs… so I didn’t finish it. Lol. I do plan to read The Hobbit first if I try them again.
Love it! Haha.
I have them by Recorded Books.
You say that like there is something wrong with it.
Add a few episodes of throwing baited hooks into the water to annoy the local fish, and it describes about 80% of my trips to Canada.
Sounds like me. I finally started in on the second book, The Two Towers, which starts off rip-roaring, and had me hooked. After finishing 2 and 3, went back to 1 then right through 2 and 3 again.
I’ve probably read LOTR at least a half dozen times. After a while, I skipped Frodo and Sam’s journey to Mordor as too boring.
The trick is to read Fellowship Book 1, Fellowship Book 2, Towers Book 1, Return Book 1, Towers Book 2, and Return Book 2 in that order.
No leaving Pippin on the way to Gondor for Frodo and Sam slowly going through the Emyn Muil.
No leaving Frodo in Cirith Ungol for a slow Shadowfax ride to Gondor.
It’s just straight through Rohan and Gondor to the Black Gate. Then you have just one transition, rewinding to the Emyn Muil. The journey stops being boring even before Smeagol is tamed. And then there’s the magnificent Dead Marshes. No CGI creepiness–just the unsettling idea of it.
A nice coincidence this morning, even though coincidences are God provided. At this morning’s Imaginative Conservative, one of my favorite websites, there was an article by Louis Markos, an expert on the works of Tolkien and CS Lewis, titled “Tom Bombadil in Narnia.” He explains through a similar example of Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series the significance of Tom Bombadil. In fact the first sentence of the essay is, “Who is Tom Bombadil and what is he is doing in The Lord of the Rings?” I found it enlightening and very interesting. Well worth the read for those interested.
Markos is great. My little Bluebonnet studied under him at HBU. Met him at a conference there in 2017. He wrote one of the essays in my book on Lewis and sci-fi.
This essay could be one of the greatest of all time. Thanks for sharing it.
That was first-rate. Thank you, @manny.
You’re welcome both.
Okay, thank you! I’ll look for them!