Authors:
  1. Quotes
  2. Authors
  3. J
  4. J. R. R. Tolkien
  5. Evil

J. R. R. Tolkien Quotes about Evil

All J. R. R. Tolkien Quotes Adventure Age Art Beer Bones Children Country Courage Darkness Death Penalty Desire Doom Doubt Earth Evil quotes Faith Fate Fear Giving Glory Gold Goodbye Grief Hate Hatred Healing Heart Heaven Hills Home Hope House Hurt Imagination Inspiration Inspirational Inspiring Journey Joy Language Laughter Life Loss Lying Magic Manifestation Memories Moon Morning Mountain Myth Nature Pain Past Philosophy Pleasure Praise Purpose Rage Rain Reality Resurrection Rings Romance Running Saying Goodbye Silence Sleep Son Sorrow Spring Suffering Summer Today Travel Twilight Victory Vision Waiting Wall War Warrior Water Wine Winter Wisdom Writing
You have to understand the good in things, to detect the real evil.

You have to understand the good in things, to detect the real evil.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Real, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2014). “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, p.55, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Years, Weather, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”, p.861, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Justice is not Healing. Healing cometh only by suffering and patience, and maketh no demand, not even for Justice. Justice worketh only within the bonds of things as they are... and therefore though Justice is itself good and desireth no further evil, it can but perpetuate the evil that was, and doth not prevent it from the bearing of fruit in sorrow.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Healing, Evil, Justice

One tiny Hobbit against all the evil the world could muster. A sane being would have given up, but Samwise burned with a magnificent madness, a glowing obsession to surmount every obstacle, to find Frodo, destroy the Ring, and cleanse Middle Earth of its festering malignancy. He knew he would try again. Fail, perhaps. And try once more. A thousand, thousand times if need be, but he would not give up the quest.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Giving Up, Glowing, Evil

evil labours with vast power and perpetual success - in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Faith, Evil, Soil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2014). “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, p.76, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

For nothing is evil in the beginning.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Evil, Mortality
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.193, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Sad, Grief, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”, p.1007, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

You can make the Ring into an allegory of our own time, if you like: and allegory of the inevitable fate that waits for all attempts to defeat evil power by power.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Fate, Evil, Waiting
J.R.R. Tolkien (2014). “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, p.121, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Eomer said, 'How is a man to judge what to do in such times?' As he has ever judged,' said Aragorn. 'Good and evil have not changed since yesteryear, nor are they one thing among Elves and another among Men. It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Men, Evil, Judging

And here he was, a little halfling from the Shire, a simple hobbit of the quiet countryside, expected to find a way where the great ones could not go, or dared not go. It was an evil fate.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Fate, Simple, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.440, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

For so sworn good or evil an oath may not be broken and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world's end.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Evil, Broken, World
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Silmarillion”, p.60, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!' Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Hurt, Hands, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings”, p.51, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

He told them tales of bees and flowers, the ways of trees, and the strange creatures of the Forest, about the evil things and the good things, things friendly and things unfriendly, cruel things and kind things, and secrets hidden under brambles.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Flower, Evil, Tree
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.100, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

There was a solemn article in the local paper seriously advocating systematic exterminating of the entire German nation as the only proper course after military victory: because, if you please, they are rattlesnakes, and don't know the difference between good and evil! (What of the writer?) The Germans have just as much right to declare the Poles and Jews exterminable vermin, subhuman, as we have to select the Germans: in other words, no right, whatever they have done.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Military, Differences, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2014). “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, p.93, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Song, Evil, Suffering
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Silmarillion”, p.63, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Strong, Wall, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.181, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

And it is not always good to be healed in body. Nor is it always evil to die in battle, even in bitter pain. Were I permitted, in this dark hour I would choose the latter.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Pain, Dark, Evil
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”, p.937, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Much evil must befall a country before it wholly forgets the Elves, if once they dwelt there.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Country, Evil, Magic
"The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings".

There are many powers in the world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. Against some I have not yet been measured. But my time is coming.

J. R. R. Tolkien
Evil, World, My Time
J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.162, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

You May Also Like: