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Quote by J. R. R. Tolkien

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The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

This book includes letters written by J.R.R. Tolkien, covering a wide range of topics including his writing process, personal life, and thoughts on various subjects. more

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J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien was an English writer, best known for his fantasy literature, most notably The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. His works have had a profound impact on modern fantasy literature. more

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“The news today about 'Atomic bombs' is so horrifying one is stunned. The utter folly of these lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of the world! Such explosives in men's hands, while their moral and intellectual status is declining, is about as useful as giving out firearms to all inmates of a gaol and then saying that you hope 'this will ensure peace'. But one good thing may arise out of it, I suppose, if the write-ups are not overheated: Japan ought to cave in. Well we're in God's hands. But He does not look kindly on Babel-builders.”

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Author:J. R. R. Tolkien
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“I should say that, in addition to my tree-love (it was originally called The Tree), it arose from my own pre-occupation with the Lord of the Rings, the knowledge that it would be finished in great detail or not at all, and the fear (near certainty) that it would be 'not at all'. The war had arisen to darken all horizons. But no such analyses are a complete explanation even of a short story.”

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Author:J. R. R. Tolkien
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“It was just as the 1914 War burst on me that I made the discovery that 'legends' depend on the language to which they belong; but a living language depends equally on the 'legends' which it conveys by tradition. ... Volapuk, Esperanto, Ido, Novial, &c &c are dead, far deader than ancient unused languages, because their authors never invented any Esperanto legends.”

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Book:The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
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