When we think about hobbits, “fierce” isn’t usually the first word that comes to mind. “Short,” “hungry” and “dangerous if you get between them and their mushrooms” are descriptions we readily associate with the halflings, but there is a great deal more to these curious little creatures than their short stature and insatiable appetites. This is why Gandalf keeps showing up in the Shire and dragging them off on adventures. They may be small, but they have a strength of spirit that even the fiercest of dragons would be hard-pressed to match.
Here are 8 Bilbo Baggins quotes fiercer than Smaug:
I Don’t Know Half Of You Half As Well As I Should Like…
I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Sure, riding on eagles and stealing from dragons is epic and all. But it takes a different level of fierceness to be able to insult half the hobbits in your hometown and leave them unsure whether they’ve even been insulted or not.
Bilbo Baggins is savage enough to do both - but he’s also smart enough to deliver his pithy insults only when he’s on his way out of town. Nothing says it’s time for another adventure like disgruntling half your neighbors.
I Am Glad That I Have Shared In Your Perils…
I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves.
True friends share not just in each other’s joys, but also in each other’s perils. Although they didn’t start out on the friendliest of terms, Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield were forced to face trolls, goblins, and spiders together (big spiders), and as they shared in one another’s pain, a deep bond began to form between the two of them.
In our world, we’re more likely to face the perils of a bad breakup or a tough exam than an army of goblins (although some might prefer the goblins…). But a true friend will be at your side no matter the hardship, whether struggling through finals or seeking justice against a fire-breathing dragon.
We Must All Keep Together…
We must all keep together, and not risk getting separated. All of us must escape, or none.
Strangers quickly become friends when forced to scale mountains and trek through spider-filled forests together. Bilbo Baggins knew none of Thorin’s company before they showed up one by one on his doorstep in the Shire, but by the time the troop reached Mirkwood, a certain closeness had started to develop between Bilbo and the dwarves. Thorin and his companions had expected little from the hobbit at first, given his short stature and mild temperament (not to mention his obsession with timely suppers). But time and again, Bilbo proved himself a worthy member of the company, risking his life for the sake of the dwarves.
I Am The Friend Of Bears And The Guest Of Eagles…
I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer, and I am Barrel-rider.
When an evil dragon asks you who you are, you cannot just give them any old name. No, you’ve got to present yourself as a worthy nemesis, as an astute foe, as someone to be reckoned with. Otherwise, you could end up as dinner (or, if you’re a hobbit, a light afternoon snack).
Bilbo Baggins knew this, and when treating with Smaug, he identified himself using a series of epic epithets that celebrated all the fearsome things he’d done during his adventures with the dwarves - deeds that had left him more than ready to take on a dragon.
It’s A Dangerous Business, Frodo, Going Out Of Your Door…
It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.
The best part about adventure is the unpredictable nature of it all. Bilbo Baggins set out from the Shire planning to steal some treasure, but by the end of his quest, he’d battled trolls, fought goblins, treated with Elves, and laughed at a dragon.
Our world is sadly lacking in the dragon department, but there’s still plenty of adventure to be had. With the right attitude, even a trip to the local pub can be an adventure (especially if you go with the right hobbits).
Go back? No good at all…
Go back? No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!
Although Bilbo Baggins often dreams of his hobbit hole and steaming kettles of tea while he’s on the road with the dwarves, he never forsakes his commitment to their cause (come rain or shine, spiders or dragons). It may take a bit of nudging to get a hobbit out his door, but once he’s on the road, he’ll trek ever onwards until he has completed what he set out to do, whether that be sneaking into Mordor or plotting the ruin of a dragon (yes, even if it means missing tea time). After all, home is all the sweeter to return to once an adventure has been had.
The Road Goes Ever On And On…
The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone and I must follow, if I can.
This quote is from a song that Bilbo composed in The Hobbit, and various versions of the tune are sung by him in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It’s strange to think Bilbo went so quickly from being a hobbit who could barely contemplate parting with his tea kettle to a burglar of dragons who croons about the pull of the road, but that’s the wonder of adventure. It changes you, and once you’ve a taste for it, it’s hard to go back.
I Think I’m Quite Ready For Another Adventure
Bilbo Baggins started out as a hobbit more concerned with what he was having for breakfast than what was in the wide world outside his hobbit hole. But by the end of his adventure… well, he was still very concerned about his breakfast choices, as any sensible hobbit would be. However, along the way, he discovered something “Tookish” within himself, a part of his being that craved the wide open spaces of Middle-earth and the thrill of the unknown as much as a well-cooked egg on toast.
