March 25, 2015 marked the 13th Tolkien Reading day. Perhaps one reason for the enduring popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is just how much we relate to hobbits, who with their love of creature comforts seem far more familiar than the often abstract humans in the books.
Just because we relate to hobbits are a bit too much, we picked out some choice entrepreneurship quotes from The Hobbit for Tolkien Reading Day. See if any of these apply to you!
On start-ups:
“You will have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, before you get to the journey’s end ”
–Dwalin
Regrets and comebacks:
“Bilbo: You can promise that I’ll come back?
Gandalf: No. And if you do, you will not be the same”
Getting things over with:
“Do we really have to go through [Mirkwood]?” groaned the hobbit.“Yes, you do!”said the wizard,“if you want to get to the other side. You must either go through or give up your quest. There are no safe paths in this part of the world.”
Potential and self-esteem:
“There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.”
–Gandalf
Risk-assessment:
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him”
–Gandalf
Taking the plunge:
“It’s a dangerous business, walking out one’s front door!…Home is behind you, the world is ahead!”
–Gandalf
Corporate social responsibility:
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
–Thorin II Oakenshield
Getting what you want:
“Victory after all, I suppose! Well, it seems a very gloomy business.”
–Bilbo Baggins
How did we misquote the books? Does it matter? Comment below!
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