Original artwork, not a still
A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a joke between friends dressed up as wizardly grandeur, and it tells you who Gandalf is before he has done a single magic trick. The line isn't in Tolkien; Peter Jackson's writers invented it, and it has become one of the most quoted lines in the whole saga, the go-to comeback of anyone who has ever turned up late.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingShow the scene
The film's first scene in the Shire: Frodo is reading under a tree when Gandalf's horse-drawn cart comes rattling down the lane, loaded with fireworks for Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday party. Frodo runs to meet him and greets his old friend with mock disapproval: "You're late." Gandalf answers with lofty dignity that a wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, nor is he early. Then the two of them burst out laughing, Frodo leaps onto the cart, and they ride on into Hobbiton.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingDialogueReference checked
- Wikipedia: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
