Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Quotes

I recently finished reading The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. It was a very interesting compilation of letters Tolkien wrote to his publishers, children, fans and friends between 1914 and 1973. They really paint a picture of Tolkien’s thoughts and personality. As a longtime fan and admirer of Tolkien, I enjoyed the book a lot. It made me want to take up letter writing although it seems a lost art these days. Some of the things he said really stood out to me so I made special note of them. Here are some quotes I marked:

[On choosing to use “dwarves” rather than “dwarfs” in The Hobbit]

“The real ‘historical’ plural of dwarf (like teeth of tooth) is dwarrows anyway: rather a nice word, but a bit too archaic. Still, I rather wish I had used the word dwarrow.” (#17, 1937)

[In response to a potential German publisher of The Hobbit inquiring in 1938 whether he was of Aryan race.]

“I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by arisch. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people.” (#30, 1938)

“Though in times of peace we get, perhaps (and naturally and for the purpose rightly), too engrossed in thinking of everything as a preparation or training or making one fit – for what? At any minute it is what we are and are doing, not what we plan to be and do that counts.” (#40, 1940)

“There is a place called ‘heaven’ where the good here unfinished is completed; and where the stories unwritten, and the hopes unfulfilled, are continued.” (#45,1941)

“You have to understand the good in things, to detect the real evil.” (#45, 1941)

“…that ruddy ignoramus Adolf Hitler…” (#45,1941)

“But who knows? We are in God’s hands. Our lot has fallen on evil days: but that cannot be by mere ill chance. Take care of yourself in all due ways (aequam serva mentem, comprime linguam [keep a calm mind and restrain the tongue])” (#61, 1944)

“Good sermons require some art, some virtue, some knowledge. Real sermons require some special grace which does not transcend art but arrives at it by instinct or ‘inspiration’; indeed the Holy Spirit seems sometimes to speak through a human mouth providing art, virtue and insight he himself does not possess: but the occasions are rare.” (#63, 1944)

“The utter stupid waste of war, not only material but moral and spiritual, is so staggering to those who have to endure it. And always was (despite the poets), and always will be (despite the propagandists) – not of course that it has not is and will be necessary to face it in an evil world.” (#64, 1944)

“[Priscilla Tolkien has] just read Out of the S. Planet and Perelandra; and with good taste preferred the latter. But she finds it hard to realize that Ransom is not meant to be a portrait of me (though as a philologist I may have some part in him, and recognize some of my opinions and ideas Lewisified in him).” (#77, 1944)

“Do ‘ramble on’. Letters need not be only about exterior events (though all details are welcome). What you are thinking is just as important: Christmas, bee-noises, and all the rest.” (#83, 1944)

“It is the aeroplane of war that is the real villain… My sentiments are more or less those that Frodo would have had if he discovered some Hobbits learning to ride Nazgûl birds, ‘for the liberation of the Shire’.” (#100, 1945)

[On the atomic bomb]

“The utter folly of these lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of the world!” (#102, 1945)

“Reward on earth is more dangerous for men than punishment!” (#130, 1950)

“The Lord of the Rings is a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.” (#142, 1953)

“…an imaginary mythical Age (mythical, not allegorical: my mind does not work allegorically).” (#144, 1954)

“As a story, I think it is good that there should be a lot of things unexplained (especially if an explanation actually exists);” (#144, 1954)

“Great harm can be done, of course, by this potent mode of ‘myth’ – especially wilfully. The right to ‘freedom’ of the subcreator is no guarantee among fallen men that it will not be used as wickedly as is Free Will.” (#153, 1954)

“But it is difficult to stop once roused on such an absorbing topic to oneself as oneself.” (#163, 1955)

“I do think of the ‘Dwarves’ like Jews; at once native and alien in their habitations, speaking the languages of the country, but with an accent due to their own private tongue….” (#176, 1955)

“I have now got a pestilent doctorate thesis to explore, when I would rather be doing something less useful….” (#176, 1955)

“For if there is anything in a journey of any length, for me it is this: a deliverance from the plantlike state of helpless passive sufferer, an exercise however small of will, and mobility – and of curiosity, without which a rational mind becomes stultified.” (#183, 1956)

“As ‘research students’ always discover, however long they are allowed, and careful their work and their notes, there is always a rush at the end, when the last date suddenly approaches on which their thesis must be presented.” (#187, 1956)

“I wish well-meaning folk who think they know could be restrained!” (#236, 1961)

[On working on the entry for "hobbit" in the Oxford English Dictionary]

“Oh what a tangled web they weave who try a new word to conceive!” (#319, 1971)

“[The name Tolkien] is not Jewish in origin though I should consider it an honour if it were.” (#324, 1971)

Bedikat Chametz

Every year before Passover begins, observant families will do a massive spring cleaning in which they remove every speck of leaven (chametz) from their house. This comes from the commandment that during the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread, you are supposed to eat only matzah and not have any chametz in your house. On the practical level, this is remembering that the children of Israel had to leave Egypt in haste and ate matzah since they did not have time to let their bread rise. On a spiritual level, though, going through this process every year is a powerful object lesson. In the Bible, leaven is often used as a symbol of the sin and imperfection in our lives. Rabbi (Apostle) Paul, commenting on leaven and Passover in relation to personal holiness, said to the Corinthians, “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread made without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor 5:6-8)

With this in mind, the process of bedikat chamtetz (removing leaven) is very humbling. Every time I thought I had found all the crumbs and leaven in my kitchen, there was always another crack or corner with some more. With some things (like my toaster) it seemed the only solution would be to get rid of it entirely. It’s a fitting picture of the sin in my own life. Whenever I think that I’ve finally removed the various sins that work their way through and permeate my life, I realize there’s still more to be found as I dig deeper. Really, there’s no way to get rid of all the chametz in my life no matter how deep I scrub or how long I spend at it. It’s only by receiving a completely new life that I can actually be spotless. But that’s what Yeshua did for me. Paul points out that we should “be a new batch without yeast – as you really are” to remind us that we have actually been made new and completely cleansed because “Messiah, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” This is great news to begin the holiday of Passover.

Chag Sameach! Happy Passover!

Les Misérables Quotes

In December, I finally finished reading Les Misérables. I’ve been a longtime fan of the musical and had been in the process for quite some time of reading the complete unabridged version in the original French. While some parts were slow (Victor Hugo can be quite verbose), overall it was excellent. As much as I love the play, there were some elements that only the book could really capture. For instance, the ending plot thread with Valjean’s confession and departure was incredible and very emotional in the book making the play/movie seem rushed. Maybe it’s because that was the most recent part I read, but that was one of the most powerful parts of the book to me. It shows a darker side of Marius as he tries to push Valjean away and distrusts him because of his past. Meanwhile, Jean Valjean lets this happen because of his own remaining guilt. It’s such an amazing story of redemption and love and is very hopeful despite the title. Another thing I loved was the fact that a lot of the lines in the original French play were quotes from the book that I recognized as I was reading. In the recent movie, which was also excellent, the changes from the play followed the book which made for an incredible combination of being faithful to both the play and the novel.

Here are some quotes that I liked from the book (that I can remember). If you notice a mistake in my translations, let me know and I'll fix it.

« Le rire, c’est le soleil; il chasse l’hiver du visage humain. »

Laugher is the sun; it chases winter from the human face.

« Nourrir le peuple est un bon but, le massacrer est un mauvais moyen. »

To feed the people is a good goal; to massacre them is a bad method.

« Citoyens, il n’y aura dans l’avenir ni ténèbres, ni coups de foudre, ni ignorance féroce, ni talon sanglant. Comme il n’y aura plus de Satan, il n’y aura plus de Michel. Dans l’avenir personne ne tuera personne, la terre rayonnera, le genre humain aimera. Il viendra, citoyens, ce jour où tout sera concorde, harmonie, lumière, joie et vie, il viendra. Et c’est pour qu’il vienne que nous allons mourir. »  – Enjolras

Citizens, in the future there will be neither shadows, nor thunderbolts, nor ferocious ignorance, nor bloody heels. Since there will no longer be Satan, there will no longer be Michael. In the future no one will kill anyone, the earth will shine, the human race will love. It will come, citizens, this day where all will be agreement, harmony, light, joy and life, it will come. And it is in order that it will come that we will die.

« Jean Valjean ne put s’empêcher de contempler cette vaste ombre claire qu’il avait au-dessus de lui; pensif, il prenait dans le majestueux silence du ciel éternel un bain d’extase et de prière. »

Jean Valjean could not help but contemplate this vast clear shadow that he had above him; pensive, he took a bath of ecstasy and of prayer in the majestic silence of the eternal heavens.

« Une chose l’avait étonné. c’était que Jean Valjean lui eût fait grâce, et une chose l’avait pétrifié, c’était que, lui Javert, il eût fait grâce à Jean Valjean.

Où en était-il? Il se cherchait et il ne se trouvait plus. »

One thing had astonished him, that Jean Valjean had given him grace, and one thing had had petrified him, that he, Javert, he had given grace to Jean Valjean. Where was he? He was searching for himself and he could no longer find himself.

« Un malfaiteur bienfaisant, un forçat compatissant, doux, secourable, clément, rendant le bien pour le mal, rendant le pardon pour la haine, préférant la pitié à la vengeance, aimant mieux se perdre que de perdre son ennemi, sauvant celui qui l’a frappé, agenouillé sur le haut de la vertu, plus voisin de l’ange que de l’homme! Javert était contraint de s’avouer que ce monstre existait. »

A benevolent criminal, a compassionate convict, soft, helpful, merciful, repaying good for evil, giving forgiveness for hate, choosing mercy over vengeance, preferring to lose himself rather than to lose his enemy, saving the one who had hit him, kneeling on the height of virtue, closer to angels than to man! Javert was forced to admit that such a monster existed.

« Il avait certainement toujours eu l’intention de remettre Jean Valjean à la loi, dont Jean Valjean était le captive, et dont lui, Javert, était l’esclave. »

He had certainly always had the intention of turning Jean Valjean over to the Law, to which Jean Valjean was a captive, and to which he, Javert, was a slave.

« L’amour, c’est la bêtise des hommes et l’esprit de Dieu. »

Love is the folly of men and the spirit of God.

« Le bonheur sec ressemble au pain sec. On mange, mais on ne dîne pas. »

Dry happiness resembles dry bread. You eat but you don’t have a meal.

« Il leur semblait que les chagrins, les insomnies, les larmes, les angoisses, les épouvantes, les désespoirs, devenus caresses et rayons, rendait plus charmante encore l’heur charmante qui approchait ; et que les tristesses était autant de servantes qui faisaient la toilette de la joie. »

It seemed to them that the grief, the insomnia, the tears, the agonies, the terrors, the despair, having become caresses and sunbeams, made the lovely moment that was coming even more lovely; and that the sorrows were as much servants that groomed joy.

« la meilleure manière d’adorer Dieu, c’est d’aimer sa femme. »

The best way to love God is to love your wife.

« Il y  avait de la joie partout sur moi, le fond de mon âme restait noir. Ce n’est pas assez d’être heureux, il faut être content. »

There was joy all over me; the depths of my soul remained dark. It’s not enough to be happy, you must be glad.

« Dieu a ses instruments. Il se sert de l’outil qu’il veut. »

God has His instruments. He uses them for the purposes that He wants.

« Ici une courte digression est nécessaire. »

Here a short digression is necessary. (Summary of the entire book)

« Ce n’est rien de mourir ; c’est affreux de ne pas vivre. »

It’s nothing to die; it’s frightening not to live.

« Voulez-vous un prêtre ? – J’en ai un, répondit Jean Valjean. »

“Do you want a priest?” “I have one,” responded Jean Valjean.

« Ce sont les partages de Dieu. Il est là-haut, il nous voit tous, et il sait ce qu’il fait au milieu de ses grandes étoiles. »

This is the position of God. He is up above, he sees us all, and he knows what he is doing in the midst of his great stars.

A Time to Betray

I just finished reading A Time to Betray by Reza Khalili. I have to say I was blown away. I never thought I’d read an autobiography that was so thrilling, suspenseful and emotional that I couldn’t put it down. The book reads like a fiction spy novel, but is Reza’s actual memoirs about growing up in Iran and living through the Iranian revolution.

The book describes Reza’s childhood in Iran under the Shah and follows his relationship with his two closest friends, Naser and Kezem. While Reza is in the US for college, the Iranian people under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini oust the Shah and begin an Islamic revolution that promises freedom and prosperity. Reza returns home after getting his computer engineering degree and joins the Revolutionary Guards with Kazem who is a devout Shi’a Muslim. However after seeing things like the American Embassy hostage crisis, friends arrested tortured and executed by the regime, and the beginning of a war with Iraq, Reza becomes disillusioned with the Revolution and decides to go to America to tell the CIA what he knows in hopes that America can help save his country. He ends up working for the CIA as a spy in the Revolutionary Guards. The book takes a deep look into his emotional struggle as he leads a double life, fights guilt over betraying his family, friends and country, and tries to be there for his wife and young son while being pulled in every other direction by the Guards and the CIA.

Several things jumped out at me about the book. It describes history that I knew very little about. I had only a vague knowledge about the revolution or the Iran-Iraq war in the ‘80s. It was fascinating to learn about these events from a personal perspective as well. It was also heart gripping to watch Reza’s struggle to keep his disloyalty a secret from his family even when that meant they hated him for supporting the revolution. It gave me a graphic association to Evin Prison where American-Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini was recently jailed for his Christian faith. It reinforced a growing love for Iran and Persian culture. Another element that began to show up in the end was his growing disillusionment with how the US deals with Iran. He cites how after all these years, the situation in Iran is still the same and the US keeps trying to accomplish appeasement strategies that have failed in the past. It was a very interesting commentary.

I would definitely recommend this book if you have an interest in the Middle East and Iran in history or current events, or if you’re just looking for an exciting (nonfiction) read.