Gandalf's speech about Gollum completely and irrevocably changed my views on Capital Punishment.
It encouraged the "Tookish" side of my nature to win over the "Baggins" (although part of the responsibility for that was my aunt who said when my sister and cousins all married aged 21/22 that I would have to be the family traveller.....I will have to remind her of that the next time she suggests it is about time I settled
)