A Few Awesome Quotes

I'm about 3/4 done with Fellowship. YAY! While reading, I've found it hard to break the habit of marking quotes that stand out to me, as I was trained in four years of advanced English class.

The first one is in Chapter 1 ("Many Meetings") of Book 2. Frodo and his companions have arrived in Rivendell, an "elven outpost" (as defined by the LotR wiki). Here, Frodo finally gets to see Bilbo again and they are discussing the outpost. This is the quote from that conversation that struck me the most, just because it made me pause my reading and think about what it truly meant.

"Time doesn't seem to pass here: it just is. A remarkable place all
together."

The second one is in Chapter 2 ("The Council of Elrond") of Book 2. Gandalf is telling his portion of the story of the Ring. He is discussing his conversation with Saruman. This passage struck me because of the symbolic significance. Note: As Gandalf is called 'Gandalf the Grey', Saruman was 'Saruman the White'.

"'For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colors!'

I looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.

'I liked white better,' I said.

'White!' he sneered. 'It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.'

'In which case it is no longer white,' said I. 'And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'"

The third and final quote is also from Chapter 2 ("The Council of Elrond") of Book 2. In this part, the council is discussing what to do with the Ring, and they have decided to destroy it. This excerpt is from the mouths of Erestor and, you guessed it, Gandalf.

"'Thus we return once more to the destroying of the Ring,' said Erestor, 'and yet we come no nearer. What strength have we for the finding of the Fire in which it was made? That is the path of despair. Of folly I would say, if the long wisdom of Elrond did not forbid me.'

'Despair, or folly?' said Gandalf. 'It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy! For he is very wise, and weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice, But the only measure that he knows is desire, desire for power; and so he judges all hearts. Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it, that having the Ring we may seek to destroy it. If we seek this, we shall out him out of reckoning.'"

Well, that's it for now. DFTBA!