Five ‘Fellowship of the Rings’ Quotes that Mean More than You Remember
“My precious.” Isildur, Gollum, and Bilbo Baggins all utter this in reference to the One Ring and the hold it has over them. The Ring of Power has ensnared them and is compelling them to do its will. It’s no trick to see that the ring represents wealth and what riches can do to a person when he or she allows the pursuit and care of them to take control of his or her life. Isildur loses his life for the ring. Gollum winds up alone, wasted, and despicable, and even Bilbo has troubling lapses into hate and jealousy. The “one ring to rule them all” is the Middle Earth form of the modern world’s pursuit of wealth.
“If you want him, come and claim him.” Arwen outrides the Nazgul and crosses a stream flowing through a gorge with a sick Frodo on her horse. She turns to face the evil beings and raises her sword up high. Her defiance in the face of overwhelming odds shows us how one person can stand up to the evil that men do, for the Nazgul are evil men. She exudes power and skill and provides an inspiration for movie-goers to use in their own lives.
“It is a strange fate we must suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing.” Boromir says this as he holds the chain from which the ring dangles. It is the basic theme behind the movie. A hobbit, the smallest, most unassuming of the humanoids in Middle Earth is chosen to be the ring-bearer. Galadriel says “even the smallest of persons can change the course of the future” when Frodo expresses his reticence at doing the coming task.
“We will go through the mines.” Frodo chooses the path that Gandalf fears, and ultimately, it’s the right choice. The Fellowship breaks after its tour of the mines, but this gives Frodo the courage he needs to continue on his own path. More importantly, though we don’t find this out until the next film, confronting his fear allows Gandalf the Grey to “level up” and become Gandalf the White. It’s hard to find a better argument for facing and overcoming your fears. Had Frodo not chosen the mines, Gandalf may never have realized his potential. That’s what friends do for you; they help make you better.
“All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.” Gandalf says this to Frodo to illustrate that people don’t get to choose the time they are born into or what happens during that time. They can only choose what they do during that time with what they are given. It’s repeated a couple of times in the film — the second as a memory. And it’s all anyone has to decide.
