When I was in 7th grade, I was introduced to the world of Middle Earth, and as time passes, I always find myself returning to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, seeking comfort from his words. Over the years, I’ve read my fair share of Tolkien quotes, and so I’ve gathered some of my favorites to share with all of you.
- “Little by little, one travels far.”
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Sometimes we can get caught up in the idea that our journeys consist only of great leaps forward, but in reality, our paths are made of tiny steps that build together over time. Small progress is not insignificant progress. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and eventually, you’ll get to where you’re going.
- “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
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There will be days, weeks, and sometimes even years where nothing seems to go right, no matter how hard you try. You can’t give up; you must have faith and continue forward. No one ever achieved greatness by fleeing at the first sign of difficulty.
- “No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.”
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Don’t ever be afraid to pursue good. When the world tells you to turn a blind eye, it is your responsibility to plant your feet and focus on the righteous path. Neither fear nor apathy are an excuse to ignore your duty to plant seeds of hope in this dark and uncertain world.
- “Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”
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There always seems to be pressure to have your good acts documented in order to prove what you’ve done. The mentality of “pics or it didn’t happen” makes it almost impossible to do something good just for the sake of doing good. A kind act is not a kind act because it was caught on camera; a kind act is a kind act because it helped someone along the way. The world doesn’t need to know what you’ve done. The single person whose life was made a little better is enough.
- “Darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out all the clearer.”
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When we look around, it’s easy to get lost in the hopelessness of all the pain and suffering we see on the news and in the media, but all that desperation can’t and won’t last forever. Do you ever notice how the sun seems so much brighter when it breaks through dark storm clouds? That’s how our world will look when the shadows of today finally fade away.
- “A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”
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Dreams beat out reality every time, and that’s because dreams hold hope. As long as we have hope, we hold the power to shape the world into whatever reality we wish. There’s not a single thing that can’t be accomplished by the dedicated dreamer.
- “There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
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This may be my all-time favorite Tolkien quote, and so, of course, I had to save it for last. I have to read these words more times than I can count, but as cynical as I can get, they always ring true. This world can be cruel and dark and (at times) full of evil, but there is still kindness and beauty and goodness, too. We fight for love. We fight for innocence. We fight for happiness. Because these are the things worth saving, and without them, we’re lost.
May these quotes help you fight the dragons in your life.