camillavirgil:

I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself. I have had a hard life and a long; and the leagues that lie between here and Gondor are a small part in the count of my journeys.

lies I am ashamed to have to ask – but is this an actual Tolkien quote? 

It is! It’s from a key moment during the Council of Elrond, just after Frodo has revealed the Ring, and Boromir’s questioning leads to Aragorn revealing some of his backstory.

I love the passage. I was amazed by how successfully the Council of Elrond was condensed for the movie; Peter Jackson has said it was the hardest part of the book to adapt. That they could turn what was, essentially, a 100-page, 20,000-word account of a staff meeting into a compelling scene is mind-boggling to me.

But so much was left out. Anyway, here’s more context for the quote, after a cut for the non-obsessed.

    ‘Behold Isildur’s Bane!’ said Elrond.
    Boromir’s eyes glinted as he gazed at the golden thing. `The Halfling!’ he muttered. `Is then the doom of Minas Tirith come at last? But why then should we seek a broken sword?’
    ‘The words were not _the doom of Minas Tirith_,’ said Aragorn. `But doom and great deeds are indeed at hand. For the Sword that was Broken is the Sword of Elendil that broke beneath him when he fell. It has been treasured by his heirs when all other heirlooms were lost; for it was spoken of old among us that it should be made again when the Ring, Isildur’s Bane, was found. Now you have seen the sword that you have sought, what would you ask? Do you wish for the House of Elendil to return to the Land of Gondor?’
    `I was not sent to beg any boon, but to seek only the meaning of a riddle,’ answered Boromir proudly. `Yet we are hard pressed, and the Sword of Elendil would be a help beyond our hope-if such a thing could indeed return out of the shadows of the past.’ He looked again at Aragorn, and doubt was in his eyes.
    Frodo felt Bilbo stir impatiently at his side. Evidently he was annoyed on his friend’s behalf. Standing suddenly up he burst out:

         All that is gold does not glitter,
           Not all those who wander are lost;
          The old that is strong does not wither,
           Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

          From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
           A light from the shadows shall spring;
          Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
           The crownless again shall be king._

    `Not very good perhaps, but to the point – if you need more beyond the word of Elrond. If that was worth a journey of a hundred and ten days to hear, you had best listen to it.’ He sat down with a snort.
    `I made that up myself,’ he whispered to Frodo, `for the Dúnadan, a long time ago when he first told me about himself. I almost wish that my adventures were not over, and that I could go with him when his day comes.’
    Aragorn smiled at him; then he turned to Boromir again. `For my part I forgive your doubt,’ he said. ‘Little do I resemble the figures of Elendil and Isildur as they stand carven in their majesty in the halls of Denethor. I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself. I have had a hard life and a long; and the leagues that lie between here and Gondor are a small part in the count of my journeys. I have crossed many mountains and many rivers, and trodden many plains, even into the far countries of Rhûn and Harad where the stars are strange.
    ‘But my home, such as I have, is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil have ever dwelt in long line unbroken from father unto son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the Sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters – but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.
    `If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds. Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dúnedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?
    `And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. “Strider” I am to one fat man who lives within a day’s march of foes that would freeze his heart or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.’

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1GacgF6.