When quoting the Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, or any other of Tolkien's writings that I own, I never trust the internet, I always look it up in the book, and then type it up myself.
But when it comes to things that aren't in books I own, or that were said by Tolkien and not written, or were in letters that no one can get their hands on, I have to rely on the internet.
Recently I posted the quote "a single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities" having made sure that it was attributed to him by many different Tolkien websites and blogs, as well as general quotes sites.
It did not occur to me that something that widely believed could still be false. http://www.thetolkienist.com/2013/04/24/not-a-tolkien-quote-a-single-dream-is-more-powerful-than-a-thousand-realities-tthnsdwohatdw-part-3/
I am exceedingly miffed to say the least. The worst of it is that I am naturally mistrustful of everything on the internet, and I try to be so careful, and yet I have still been taken in.
While the internet can be very useful and helpful, it also spreads falsehoods faster than the blink of an eye (although I don't think Sauron's eye blinks).
Other quotes misattributed to Tolkien include but are not limited to:
'little by little one travels far'
'It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit'
'Living by faith includes the call to something greater than cowardly self-preservation'
'fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory'
You have learned a great lesson: always quote directly from the book :)
ReplyDeleteClearly, I just have to read absolutely everything he ever wrote, including nonfiction and letters and grocery lists.
ReplyDelete