Quote:
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Pity? It was pity that stayed his hand.... Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life, Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
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That has been one of the most meaningful quotes in my life for years now. It didn't exactly jump out and grab me the first time or two that I read LOTR (I've been reading it once a year since I was 13!); however, about five years ago some rather major upheavals occurred in my life, and I just so happened to be reading LOTR yet again, and I stumbled across this quote. The meaning and significance of what Tolkien is saying, to both his characters and to his readers was so profound to me at the time - and (as corny as this may sound) it even helped me to manage my life for a while.