"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
-Gildor Inglorion
Last of all Hurin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each time that he slew Hurin cried 'Aure entuluva! Day shall come again!' Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive..."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
"She should not die, so young and beautiful. At least, she should not die alone."
-Merry, on the Pelennor Fields
"Don't you know my name yet? That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside."
-Tom Bombadil
"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens."
-Gimli
"It's wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope."
-Elrond
"It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."
-Frodo
"Dangerous!" cried Gandalf. "And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord."
-Gandalf
"It needs more to make a king than a piece of elvish glass, or a rabble such as this."
-the Mouth of Sauron
"I am glad you are here with me, Sam. Here at the end of all things, Sam."
-Frodo, on Mount Doom
"He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall."
-Elrond
The Nazgul they were; the Ringwraiths, the Enemy's most terribly servants; darkness went with them and they cried with the voices of death"
-J.R.R. Tolkien, Silmarillion
"A thing is about to happen which has not happened since the Elder Days: the Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong."
-Gandalf
"Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end."
-Legolas
"Confusticate and bebother these dwarves..."
-Bilbo Baggins
"Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council."
-Gandalf
"I will take the ring, though I do not know the way."
-Frodo
"The treacherous are ever distrustful."
-Gandalf
"'Hail, Gurtholfin, wand of death, for thou art all men's bane and all men's lives fain wouldst thou drink, knowing no lord or faith save the hand that wields thee if it be strong. Thee only have I now - slay me therefore and be swift, for life is a curse, and all my days are creeping foul, and all my deeds are vile and all I love is dead.' And Gurtholfin said: 'That will I gladly do, for blood is blood, and perchance thine is not less sweet than many a one's that thou hast given me ere now'; and Turambar cast himself then upon the point of Gurtholfin, and the dark blade took his life."
-Turin Turumbar
"Deserves it! I daresay he does. 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. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least."
-Gandalf
"To me! To me! Up Eorlingas, fear no darkness!"
-King Theoden
"Sleep! I feel the need of it. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!"
-Gimli
"The wise speak only of what they know, Grima son of Galmod. A witless worm have you become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls."
-Gandalf
"Then suddenly out of the gloom came a sharp hiss. 'What has it got in its pocketses?'"
-Gollum
"And it is not our part here to take thought only for a season, or for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world."
-Gandalf
"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."
-Bilbo Baggins
"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and the counsels of the Great."
-Elrond
"They lie in all the pools, pale faces, deep deep under the dark water. I saw them: grim faces and evil, and noble faces and sad. Many faces proud and fair, and weeds in their silver hair. But all foul, all rotting, all dead. A fell light is in them."
-Frodo
"And he sang to them, now in the Elven tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the KIng
"Then let us start as soon as it is light tomorrow, if we can. The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears."
-Boromir
"What do you mean? Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good on this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
-Gandalf
"I have no help to send, therefore I must go myself."
-Aragorn
"Don't you know my name yet? That's the only answer. Tell me, who are you alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside."
-Tom Bombadil
"It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."
-Frodo
"The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves."
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
"Hill. Yes, that was it. But it is a hasty word for a thing that has stood here ever since this part of the world was shaped."
-Treebeard
"It's sunlight and bright day, right enough. I thought that Elves were all for moon and stars: but this is more elvish than anything I ever heard tell of. I feel as if I was inside a song, if you take my meaning."
-Sam
"Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills. Then let the foes of Gondor flee!"
-Boromir
"We have sworn, and not lightly. This oath we will keep. We are threatened with many evils, and treason not least; but one thing is not said: that we shall suffer from cowardice, from cravens or the fear of cravens. Therefore I say that we will go on, and this doom I add: the deeds that we shall do shall be the matter of song until the last days of Arda."
-Feanor
"Of Course", said Gandalf. "And why should not they prove true? Surely you do not disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"
-Gandalf
Various quotes from J.R.R. Tolkien.