Quotes from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“the spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and many-headed in its incarnations that there seems nothing more to do than personally refuse to worship any of the hydras' heads.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“Non vedi laggiù la stretta via
Così angusta, circondata da spine e da rovi?
E' il sentiero della Virtù,
Sebbene così pochi lo ricerchino.

E non vedi laggiù quell'ampia, ampia strada,
Che si snoda attraverso il campo di gigli?
E' il sentiero della Malvagità,
Sebbene alcuni lo chiamino la Via del Paradiso.

E non vedi laggiù un grazioso viottolo
Che serpeggia sull'erta tra le felci?
E' il sentiero verso la magica Terra degli Elfi
Dove tu e io questa notte avremo riposo.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“For it is now to us itself ancient; and yet its maker was telling of things already old and weighted with regret, and he expended his art in making keen that touch upon the heart which sorrows have that are both poignant and remote.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“There are in any case many heroes but very few good dragons.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“Even when a prohibition in a fairy-story is guessed to be derived from some taboo once practised long ago, it has probably been preserved in the later stages of the tale's history because of the great mythical significance of prohibition. A sense of significance may indeed have lain behind some of the taboos themselves. Thou shalt not - or else thou shalt depart beggared into endless regret. The gentlest 'nursery-tales' know it. Even Peter Rabbit was forbidden a garden, lost his blue coat, and took sick. The Locked Door stands as an eternal Temptation.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

“We must be satisfied with the soup that is set before us, and not desire to see the bones of the ox out of which it has been boiled.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, quote from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

About the author

Popular quotes

“Halt," said Will eventually, "can I ask you a question?"
"I think you just did," Halt replied, with the faintest hint of a smile in his voice. It was
an old formula between the two of them. Will grinned, then sighed and became serious.
"Does life always get harder when you get older?"
Page | 142
"You're not exactly ancient," Halt said gently. "But things have a way of turning out,
you know. Just give them time."
Will made a frustrated little gesture with his hands. "I know... it's just, I mean... oh, I
don't know what I mean!" he finished.
Halt eyed him carefully. "Pauline said to thank you for rescuing her assistant," he said.
This time, he was sure he saw a reaction. So that was it.
"I was glad to do it," Will replied eventually, his voice neutral. "I think I'll turn in. Good
night, Halt."
"Good night, son," Halt said. He chose the last word intentionally. He watched as the
dim figure strode away toward the fire, seeing the shoulders straighten as he went.
Sometimes, life threw up problems that even the wisest, most trusted mentor couldn't
solve for you. It was part of the pain of growing up.
And having to stand by and watch was part of the pain of being a mentor.”
― John Flanagan, quote from The Siege of Macindaw

“You know,” he says, “for someone who doesn’t like touching people, you keep finding ways to put your hands on me.”
― Victoria Schwab, quote from The Archived

“Time was his servant, too; it would trap me, here, in a night that would last until he came back to me, like a black sun on a hopeless morning.”
― Angela Carter, quote from The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

“As Melissa got closer, the taste of school began to foul her mouth.”
― Scott Westerfeld, quote from The Secret Hour

“Well,' I said. 'I could strip off my clothes and reveal to you that under my jeans and sweatshirt I'm actually wearing a tank top and short-shorts, much like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider...only mine are flame-retardant and covered in glow-in-the-dark dinosaur stickers.'
No one stirred. Not even Christopher, who actually has a thing for Lara Croft.
'I know what you're thinking,' I went on. 'Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur stickers are so last year. But I think they add a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole ensemble. It's true, short-shorts are uncomfortable under jeans and hard to get off in the ladies' room, but they make the twin thigh-holsters in which I hold my high-caliber pistols so easy to get to....'
The oven timer dinged.
'Thank you, Em,' Mr. Greer said, yawning. 'That was very persuasive.”
― Meg Cabot, quote from Airhead

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.