The Lord of the Ringshas quotable moments by the bucketload, and some will be remembered for generations.Peter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringstrilogiesadapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous novels of the same names and will go down in history as some of the best fantasy movies in the world. While not all the movies' most quotable moments were lifted directly off the pages of Tolkien’s masterpieces, Jackson’s scripts had their own flair in spades. The movies provided eachLord of the Ringscharacter with their own incredible quotes.
Jackson wrote some of the scripts himself and left the rest to Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, and Stephen Sinclair. This strong team still stands behindThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise, withThe War of the Rohirrimmoviepresenting some memorable quotes of its own. Out in December 2024, the animated Third Age Rohan movie is the first Warner Bros.LotRmovie sinceThe Return of the King. With the Warner Bros. screenwriters going strong, it is a great time to look back on their best work in the form of eachLotRcharacter’s best quote.
11Pippin Took
“What About Second Breakfast?”
Merry and Pippin provided much of the humor inThe Lord of the Rings, andPippin’s “What about second breakfast?” line will remain one of the funniest parts of the trilogy. InThe Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ringmovie, the fellowship was on the move, and Pippin raised his concerns. The lack of creature comforts, such as a second breakfast, was making itself apparent.
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Merry and Pippin hadn’t necessarily had the greatest comprehension of the mission they were about to undertake. This was demonstrable through their promise to join the Fellowship in Rivendell, which was closely followed by Pippin asking “Where are we going?“Pippin’s hilarious unsuitability for the task at hand was a running jokein the movie but was delightfully subverted by the heroism that appeared to keep growing within him.
10Merry Brandybuck
“All That Was Once Great And Good In This World Will Be Gone. There Won’t Be A Shire, Pippin.”
Merry provided the world with an excellent quote while ruminating on a future ruled byLord of the Ringsvillain Sauron. While Merry and Pippin were theLotRtrilogy’s comic relief, they did also occasionally come out with some moments of astounding depth.Merry proved himself to have a penetrating insightinto the threat that Sauron truly presented, which was surprising.
After all, he was a humble Hobbit from the sheltered Shire. Nonetheless,Merry understood the importance of the actions taken by himself and Pippinwhen he wisely speculated that there would be no Shire to return to if they did not stop Sauron. Merry stated that “All that was once great and good in this world” would be gone if they did not fight the rising tide of tyranny that Sauron presented, and his wisdom seemed all too relevant to the real world.
9Arwen Undómiel
“I Would Rather Share One Lifetime With You Than Face All The Ages Of This World Alone.”
Arwen’s role was amplified for the movies, and she shone in the Warner Bros.' scripts.Arwen and Aragorn’s relationshipwas brought center stage in Peter Jackson’s movies, which made Aragorn feel more important as the movie’s knight in shining armor. In this sense,Arwen was key, and her most quotable moments all led viewers to feel attached to herand fate with Aragorn.
This quote perfectly expresses the nature of unconditional love.
“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone” was Arwen’s expression of her choice of the fate of Men over the fate of Elves. WhileLord of the Rings’Elves were a kind of immortal, Men were not.Arwen opted to stay with Aragorn instead of pursuing safety overseasin the Undying Lands of Valinor, where she could refresh her light and remain immortal but alone. This quote perfectly expresses the nature of unconditional love.
8Aragorn Elessar
“My Friends, You Bow To No One.”
Aragorn wasLord of the Rings’traditional hero, buthis most heroic moment was recognizing the merits of others. During his coronation, so well-deserved and epically achieved, he was bowed to by the masses. However, when Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took made to bow, Aragorn stopped them, confirming that they would bow to no one.
Aragorn was played by Viggo Mortensen in all threeLord of the Ringsmovies.
Aragorn was right to recognize that royalty is meaningless next to kindness, loyalty, and strength. In proclaiming his respect and subordinance to the Hobbits, Aragorn proved that he truly was worthy of Kingship of Gondor and Arnor. After all,a true king serves his people. This was the culmination of a long arc of self-realization, wherebyLord of the Rings’Aragorn gradually found confidencein his claim to the throne.
7Legolas Greenleaf
“What About Side By Side With A Friend?”
Legolas must be one of the greatest heroes of the Third Age, not least because he reforged trust between the Elves and the Dwarves. The Fellowship was, in many ways, an international diplomatic mission formed of emissaries from Middle-earth’s diverse parts. It could have worsened the historical feud between Elves and Dwarves, and indeed,there did appear to be tension between Legolas and Gimli at first.
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Gimli commented that he never thought he would die fighting next to an Elf.Legolas confirmed that he had put any initial mistrust in Gimli behind himwhen he asked Gimli if he would like to fight beside him as a friend instead. This moving moment summarized the friendship that had been building between the two unlikely companions and clarified their importance to the wider world of Middle-earth. They would go on to improve relations between Elves and Dwarves for generations to come.
6Gimli, Son Of Glóin
“That Still Only Counts As One.”
Gimli and Legolas' friendly rivalry was a major highlight ofThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, and Gimli’s “That still only counts as one” line sums it up perfectly.Legolas and Gimli were at loggerheadsat first, with Elves and Dwarves typically enduring fraught dealings with each other over the years. Embodying the attitudes of the respective nations they represented, Legolas and Gimli’s argumentative relationship soon became an affectionate one.
InThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, Legolas was played by Orlando Bloom, while Gimli was played by John Rhys-Davies.
The banter between the two was intriguingly portrayed by their Orc-killing competition at Helm’s Deep inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The Battle of the Hornburg offered up countless Orcs for both warriors to combat, and they responded by seeing who could kill the most. It was a close call, butGimli made sure it was known that Legolas wouldn’t be winningby any significant margin.
5Boromir
“I Would Have Followed You, My Brother, My Captain, My King.”
Boromir had many memorable scenes inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, but his last words may be his best. Boromir’s immortal “One does not simply walk into Mordor” line is his best-known quote from the movies, without a shadow of a doubt. However,Sean Bean’s remarkable depth was on display as Boromir diedof multiple arrow wounds and declared his allegiance to Aragorn.
Boromir’s loyalty was hard-won, as Boromir had initially questionedAragorn’s claim to the throne inLord of the Rings. Boromir’s father had been ruling Gondor as a Steward of Gondor for many years, so Aragorn’s heritage was not necessarily welcome news to Boromir. But with his last breath,Boromir proved that he was not just a martyr for the safety of the Hobbits, but a cooperative manwho would honor the oaths of his family, which were to serve the true king.
4Frodo Baggins
“I Will Take The Ring, Though I Do Not Know The Way.”
Frodo had a unique brand of heroism all his own inThe Lord of the Rings, although he was probably more of a hero in the book. ElijahWood made sure to lace his portrayal of Frodo with quiet strength, which came through when he offered to take up the mission of destroying the One Ring. Frodo said “I will take the ring, though I do not know the way.” The Fellowship seemed to know, from the start, that this was the right path.
There was something symbolic about Frodo not knowing the path. It related back to Frodo’s first inklings of adventure, as seen through the eyes of Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo always said “There’s no knowing where you’ll be swept off to” after leaving the house.Frodo’s sense of adventure always mirrored Bilbo’s, and in this quote, he stepped into his own, becoming his own adventurer. Frodo had Bilbo’s spirit, and it was what saved Middle-earth.
3Éowyn
“I Am No Man.”
Éowyn is one ofthe best characters ofThe Lord of the Ringsand her dialogue as she cut down the Witch-king of Angmar is a large part of that. The Witch-king of Angmar couldn’t be killed by ordinary blades, but Merry had an enchanted blade. Between the two of them,Éowyn and Merry brought down Sauron’s most loyal servant. This was a surprise to the Witch-king, due to a certain gender-related prophecy.
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It was prophesied that the Witch-king would not be killed by any man. The Witch-king did not account for his end coming at the hands of a woman. This feminist victory was displayed by Éowyn yelling “I am no man” before she plunged a blade into his ghostly face.Éowyn was a symbol of female empowermentat Tolkien’s time of writing and Jackson’s movies brought this out well.
2Samwise Gamgee
“There is Some Good In This World, Mr. Frodo, And It’s Worth Fighting For.”
Samwise Gamgee had one of the trilogy’s best lines of all. During his epic struggle with Frodo to Mount Doom, Sam had to motivate Frodo as much as he had to physically assist him. In many ways,Sam’s hope, humor, and companionship were the main things inspiring Frodo to keep movingwhen he had the huge burden of the One Ring around his neck. Sam supported his companion particularly well in one important line.
Showing his faith in his fellow Hobbits, Men, Elves, and Dwarves, Sam reminded Frodo that there was good left in the world and that it was worth fighting for. In this iconic quote,Sam was brave, determined, and wise. Caught up in the daily challenges of a near-impossible task, it was easy for the two Hobbits to give up. However, Sam had no such intention.
