Original artwork, not a still
The Fellowship of the Ring · 1954
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Gandalf's answer to every 'why me, why now' that anyone has ever felt. It refuses both despair and wishful thinking: the era is not chosen, only what is done in it. It has become the standard quote for hard times, from graduation speeches to pandemic posts, and it is also the heart of Frodo's whole arc, which begins with the Ring being handed to him rather than sought.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Fellowship of the RingShow the scene
In 'The Shadow of the Past', the second chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf has told Frodo the history of the Ring and why it cannot stay in the Shire. Frodo, shaken, says he wishes it had not happened in his time. Gandalf agrees that so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide: all they have to decide is what to do with the time that is given. The talk then turns to Gollum and Bilbo's pity, which Gandalf says stayed his hand, and which he warns may yet matter.
Sources (1)
- The Fellowship of the Ring, Wikiquotesection 'The Shadow of the Past'Reference checked
Context reviewed
