“A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”

From: Gandalf the Gray

Genre: Movies/Books

Who said it?: The Lord of The Rings trilogy, specifically The Fellowship of the Ring movie

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, both the books and the movies. The Lord of the Rings is a follow up to JRR Tolkien’s book, The Hobbit. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins finds The One Ring in the possession of his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. What follows is a quest to go to Mordor to destroy The One Ring.

The quote comes during the early moments of the film that was directed by Peter Jackson. Gandalf the Gray (played by Sir Ian McKellan) arriving at the Shire, the area of the hobbits. Frodo Baggins greets the wizard, taunting him that he is late. This is when Gandalf delivers the quote.

Please take note that the video is an edit to extend the laughter between the two characters. It was the best I could find.

Geek wisdom: Everything you do has to have a purpose and this even includes your mistakes. If you’re late for an appointment or fail to accomplish a task, there is a good chance it it your fault, even if there are circumstances that prevented you from doing it. The best thing is to own up to them.

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“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.”

From: Gandalf the Grey

Genre: Movies/Books

Who said it?: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the first chapter of the Lord of the Ring trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. The story is all about Frodo Baggins, who becomes the bearing of the One Ring and his and his party’s quest to travel to Mordor to destroy it before the Dark Lord Sauron can get his hands on it.

The quote comes during the middle of the film. The party tries to take a shortcut through the mines of Moria, only to discover that the place has been overrun by Orcs and Trolls. Frodo (played by Elijah Wood) notices someone following them. Galdalf comments that it is Gollum, the former owner of the One Ring, who has become obsessed by the Ring’s power. Frodo despairs and wishes he had never come across the item in the first place. This is when Gandalf delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: It is so easy to fall into desperation and despair during troubled times and it is also easy to wallow in the feeling of hopelessness of the situation. But the worst thing you can do during troubling times is do nothing. Whatever the situation is and no matter how dire, there is always something you can do about it. All you have to do is take action.