Orcs Quotes

• There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  World, Fellowship, Lord Of The Ring

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.220, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• Tolkien can say that Aragorn became king and reigned for a hundred years, and he was wise and good. But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? And what about all these orcs? By the end of the war, Sauron is gone but all of the orcs aren’t gone – they’re in the mountains. Did Aragorn pursue a policy of systematic genocide and kill them? Even the little baby orcs, in their little orc cradles?

  George R. R. Martin

  Wise, Baby, Kings

  Interview with Mikal Gilmore, www.rollingstone.com. April 23, 2014.

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• I am not a 'democrat' only because 'humility' and equality are spiritual principles corrupted by the attempt to mechanize and formalize them, with the result that we get not universal smallness and humility, but universal greatness and pride, till some Orc gets hold of a ring of power--and then we get and are getting slavery.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Spiritual, Humility, Pride

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2014). “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”, p.246, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• Much of the same sort of degraded and filthy talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt, too long removed from good to retain even verbal vigour, save in the ears of those to whom only the squalid sounds strong.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Strong, Long, Hatred

  J. R. R. Tolkien (1980). “The Lord of the Rings: The return of the King”

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• Sleep! I feel the need of it, as never I thought any dwarf could , riding is tiring work. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Fear, Fall, Sleep

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.367, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.213, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• I would like you to teach [the orcs] civilised behaviour," said Ladyship coldly. He appeared to consider this. "Yes of course, I think that would be quite possible," he said. "And who would you send to teach the humans?

  Terry Pratchett

  Thinking, Behaviour, Would Be

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• The true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves.

  George R. R. Martin

  Dark, Horror, Lord

  "George R.R. Martin on 'Game of Thrones' and Sexual Violence". Interview with Dave Itzkoff, artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. May 2, 2014.

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• You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Dark, Fire, Flames

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Lord of the Rings: One Volume”, p.234, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• There are two novels that can transform a bookish 14-year-old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish daydream that can lead to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood ...in which large chunks of the day are spent inventing ways to make real life more like a fantasy novel. The other is a book about orcs.

  Raj Patel

  Real, Book, Years

  52 Copy quote

• Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Memories, Dark, Feet

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”, p.810, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• I fireballed him as he was seeking out treasure after we wiped out a band of orcs, playing rock-paper-scissors with each orc to determine who would prevail in combat. This is a lot more exciting than it sounds. It's quite civilized, and a little weird. You go running after someone through the woods, catch up with him, bare your teeth, and sit down to play a little roshambo.

  Cory Doctorow

  Running, Rocks, Play

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• Orcs, and talking trees, and leagues of grass, and galloping riders, and glittering caves, and white towers and golden halls, and battles, and tall ships sailing, all these passed before Sam's mind.

  J. R. R. Tolkien

  Talking, White, League

  J.R.R. Tolkien (2012). “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”, p.934, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• Not all Tolkien haters are Orcs, but all Orcs are Tolkien haters.

  Peter Kreeft

  Peter Kreeft (2005). “The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings”, p.15, Ignatius Press

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• Didn't think her vision was consistent with the ORC, especially the way the Council wishes to work with the ORC. For example, with regard to the zoning ordinance, the Council sees a comprehensive approach, the ORC wants to review the ordinances and simplify them. Pam's vision was counter to that.

  Norman Foster

  Thinking, Vision, Wish

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• I wrote a letter to the magazine [Time magazine] pointing out that [Richard] Corliss's comparison of Christopher Lee's Saruman to Osama Bin Laden, and the vastly outnumbered defenders of Helm's Deep united against the Orcs to the "Coalition of the Willing" fighting the good fight against Muslim hordes, displayed the simplistic, xenophobic, and arrogant worldview that makes the government of the United States feared and mistrusted around the world. The editors claimed they had no space to print my brief letter, which I felt was dishonest and cowardly.

  Viggo Mortensen

  Fighting, Editors, Space

  Source: www.progressive.org

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• But Tolkien doesn't ask the question: What was Aragorn's tax policy?

  George R. R. Martin

  Taxes, Policy, Asks

  "George R.R. Martin: The Rolling Stone Interview". Interview with Mikal Gilmore, lesswrong.com. April 23, 2014.

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• It’s an old Orc axe, which means he’s been in battle. Orcs have killed members of his family, and he’s trying to find the Orc that did it to him so that he can give it back. But as the journey goes on, Bifur actually becomes more lucid. He becomes a bit more focused, and the journey is a bit healing for him.

  William Kircher

  Healing, Mean, Journey

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• An artist has an obligation to tell the truth. [...] that the true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves. We are the monsters. (And the heroes too). Each of us has within himself the capacity for great good, and great evil.

  George R. R. Martin

  Hero, Dark, Artist

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• Reseph tried to convince one of my vamps to slip an aphrodisiac into my drink." "Ares is quite fond of the orc-weed," Vulgrim called out from the kitchen, and yeah, there was a set of chains in the dungeon with his name on them. Limos scowled. "What did your demon say?" "Nothing," Ares muttered.

  Larissa Ione

  Weed, Names, Kitchen

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• I've always seen this overlap between medieval warfare and heavy metal. You see heavy metal singers and they'll have like a brace around their arm and they'll be singing about Orcs. So let's just make a world where that all happens. That all gets put together, the heavy metal, and the rock, and the battling, actually does happen. Let's not flirt around with this let's just do it.

  Tim Schafer

  Flirting, Rocks, Singing

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• In the evening he went to the cinema to see "The Lord of the Rings", which he had never before had time to see. He thought that orcs, unlike human beings, were simple and uncomplicated creatures.

  Steig Larsson

  Simple, Cinema, Evening

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