“Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-
hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. They can tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled
dwarves, when they take the trouble, though
they are usually untidy and dirty. Hammers,
axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs, and
also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light. It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them, and also not working with their own hands more than they could help; but in those days and those wild parts they had not advanced (as it is called) so far. They did not hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and everything, and particularly the orderly and prosperous; in
some parts wicked dwarves had even made
alliances with them. But they had a special
grudge against Thorin’s people, because of the war which you have heard mentioned, but which does not come into this tale; and anyway goblins don't care who they catch, as long as it is done smart and secret, and the prisoners are not able to defend themselves.”
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. They can tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled
dwarves, when they take the trouble, though
they are usually untidy and dirty. Hammers,
axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs, and
also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light. It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them, and also not working with their own hands more than they could help; but in those days and those wild parts they had not advanced (as it is called) so far. They did not hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and everything, and particularly the orderly and prosperous; in
some parts wicked dwarves had even made
alliances with them. But they had a special
grudge against Thorin’s people, because of the war which you have heard mentioned, but which does not come into this tale; and anyway goblins don't care who they catch, as long as it is done smart and secret, and the prisoners are not able to defend themselves.”
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
“Even if you are learning facts that you are not going to be able to use in your daily life, it enriches you – the fact itself just enriches you as a human being and broadens your outlook on life and makes you a more understanding and better person.”
― The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
― The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
“Yet I still believe in the will to live. I believe in positivity. I believe in optimism. I believe in hope, and I certainly believe in the power of prayer.”
― The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
― The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
― The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
The Quick and the Dead
— 3 members
— last activity Jun 20, 2013 11:18AM
Quasi-scholarly discussions of various books by authors both alive and deceased. Tweed jackets with elbow pads are not required, but are strongly sugg ...more
Christian’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Christian’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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