25 Years Later, These Three The Fellowship of the Ring Quotes Are Still My Favorite

25 years after The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film was first released, this movie remains a classic for a reason. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies have long received high praise, at least when it comes to his original trilogy of movies, comprising The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. And it’s true that Jackson deserves plenty of praise for the movies that he created, from the casting decisions that were made to the amount and scale of the practical sets that were used and beyond. However, there’s also little doubt that these movies in part thrived to the extent that they did because of the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books laying the foundation.

Of course, the success of these movies was also heavily influenced by the stellar work of the actors, whose performances not only proved their acting chops but also made these stories truly come to life for audiences on screen—a particularly challenging feat when thinking about film adaptations of beloved books, much less film adaptations of what are largely considered among the greatest fantasy books ever written. In truth, it is a combination of all three elements (Tolkien’s brilliant stories, Jackson’s directorial eye, and the performance of the movies’ stars) that resulted in innumerable Lord of the Rings quotes that are still referenced more than 20 years later. In terms of fan-favorite quotes from The Fellowship of the Ring in particular, though, these three would absolutely be my favorite.

3) “I Don’t Know Half of You Half as Well as I Should Like”

When funny Lord of the Rings characters are brought up, it’s likely that Merry, Pippin, and Gimli rise to the top of many fans’ minds. Merry and Pippin are, of course, a hilarious duo together, and Pippin on his own is often comedic relief (even if some of his foolish behavior is actually very frustrating at times). Likewise, Gimli delivers several laugh lines throughout the trilogy, even at moments when it feels like humor couldn’t possibly land—yet, notably, Gimli’s jokes always do. Because of the prominence of these three characters as the ‘funny’ ones, though, it’s too easy to overlook how truly funny Bilbo Baggins is. In fact, in The Fellowship of the Ring in particular, Bilbo frequently has some of the funniest lines, many of which are too often overlooked.

My third-favorite Fellowship of the Ring quote is proof of that very fact. Specifically, when celebrating his 111th birthday, Bilbo delivers a speech that ends with his dramatic disappearance because he uses the One Ring to turn invisible. Before that shocking exit, though, Bilbo says the line, “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” In addition to being a quintessentially hobbit-like tongue twister, this quote is such a great example of Bilbo’s cheeky personality and intelligence. After all, it takes some serious parsing out to figure out what he’s actually saying, and that only makes this hilarious line all the better.

2) “It Was Pity That Stayed Bilbo’s Hand”

Although the quote from Bilbo’s speech is a charming, funny one, The Fellowship of the Ring is actually full of rather profound statements. Many of them, unsurprisingly, come from Gandalf, who is almost constantly imparting wisdom in his conversations with other characters. Some of his lines are more commonly referenced than others for that reason, though, and one deeply meaningful Gandalf line that actually frequently gets overlooked (likely because of its proximity to a much more heavily referenced line, which may very well be coming next) is one regarding Bilbo’s pity for Gollum. Specifically, Frodo, in a moment of frustration no doubt, tells Gandalf it’s “a pity” that Bilbo didn’t kill Gollum when he had the chance.

In response, Gandalf says, “Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo’s hand.” Although a short line, this is actually among Gandalf’s most meaningful quotes in the entire franchise, and it delivers a massively important message—one that both Frodo and, hopefully, audiences have learned by the end of The Return of the King. Ultimately, yes, Bilbo could have killed Gollum in the caves. However, showing mercy to Gollum was an essential step in Bilbo’s journey, and it’s actually a demonstration of why Bilbo, and eventually Frodo as well, could carry the Ring. Namely, compassion and a genuine kindheartedness are among the traits that made both Bilbo and Frodo able to be ring bearers. Had Bilbo gone ahead and just killed Gollum, he would have been an entirely different character (one, it’s worth noting, no longer fit to be carrying the Ring).

1) “All We Have to Decide Is What To Do With the Time That Is Given to Us”

Finally, and perhaps unsurprisingly, my single favorite Fellowship of the Ring line is yet another Gandalf quote, which actually happens at almost exactly the same time as the aforementioned Gandalf quote. During that same conversation, Frodo tells Gandalf that he wished the Ring had never come to him and “none of this had happened.” In response, Gandalf says, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This may be seen as an over-quoted line, but it’s arguably so popular because it is so profound.

In fact, while this line obviously has a crucial meaning within The Fellowship of the Ring/The Lord of the Rings, it has had the staying power it does because it is so applicable to real life (which was, without question, part of Tolkien’s intention with this story). Whether speaking about much larger events or crises or thinking about circumstances in one’s own life, this line is actually a very comforting one, and although I could have picked a range of other hilarious, meaningful, iconic, or otherwise notable Fellowship of the Ring lines, this one truly stands out as my absolute favorite because it has such a tangible impact.