Quotes from The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

J.R.R. Tolkien ·  240 pages

Rating: (3.7K votes)


“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

J.R.R. Tolkien
Born place: in Bloemfontein, Mangaung, Free State, South Africa
Born date January 3, 1892
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“Mamiya concentrated upon what the sound of one hand might be. “You are not working hard enough,” his teacher told him. “You are too attached to food, wealth, things, and that sound. It would be better if you died. That would solve the problem.” The next time Mamiya appeared before his teacher he was again asked what he had to show regarding the sound of one hand. Mamiya at once fell over as if he were dead. “You are dead all right,” observed the teacher. “But how about that sound?” “I haven’t solved that yet,” replied Mamiya, looking up. “Dead men do not speak,” said the teacher. “Get out!” 43.”
― quote from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings


“Cam gave him a halfhearted boot on the top of his head with the heel of one hand. "Why don't you shut
up until I say what I have to say?"
The painless smack and impatient order were more comforting to Seth than a thousand promises.”
― Nora Roberts, quote from Sea Swept


“I’ll say no more about that, or I’ll be falling into the dismals”
― Georgette Heyer, quote from A Civil Contract


“What has to be done can scarcely be termed heroic!” Master”
― Anne McCaffrey, quote from All the Weyrs of Pern


“the darkest sky is filled with stars, that the sun casts its warmth on the coldest day.”
― Susan Beth Pfeffer, quote from This World We Live In


Interesting books

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul
(56.6K)
Captivating: Unveili...
by John Eldredge
What Happens in London
(15.8K)
What Happens in Lond...
by Julia Quinn
The Fire Next Time
(26.2K)
The Fire Next Time
by James Baldwin
Velocity
(52.8K)
Velocity
by Dean Koontz
The Cross and the Switchblade
(41.2K)
The Cross and the Sw...
by David Wilkerson
Candor
(5.7K)
Candor
by Pam Bachorz

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.