20 Big Life Lessons learned from LOTR

Updated October 2021.

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Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another fantastic life lessons blog post here on the DoB blog!

But first, let’s catch up for a bit because we really missed you.

How did 2020 end for you? Are you as happy as everyone else that 2020 ended or do you have an unpopular opinion about the madness that was 2020?  Are you safe, working from home, dreaming about travelling the world? Or are you in the front lines of the battle?

Wherever you are, we hope you are safe and healthy and doing the best you can in this new normal we are living all in. Keep your head up high, your hands clean, and remember that it is okay to take a break from the real world, once in a while, to help you heal your heart and mind.

For us, it’s been a crazy time in 2020. 

Firstly, after we decided to take a break from Scotland, and the UK in October 2019, and go back to our roots in Transylvania to take care of some personal matters, we got ourselves stuck because of Covid-19, just like everyone else. 

Having nowhere to go back to in Scotland, we decided to stay and see what would happen next.

With finding new professional paths, me in web development and web design and Andy in design and hopefully soon in game development, we were left with little to no time for anything else but school, work and sleep.

And as always, when times get rough, we get back to what we know will definitely take us away from our problems and also teach us some valuable life lessons. 

We go back to... Fantasy.

And where better to start, than with the genius that was, is, and will forever be - JRR Tolkien, and his fantastic work. We’re talking about Middle Earth and all its magic, of course.

After all, even the movies in themselves are awesome and truly are a collection of hard work from amazing screenwriters, artists, craftsmen and women, stuntmen and women and acting professionals.

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to express our love for The Lord of the Rings and share some life lessons we’ve learned along the way as well, as it’s in our habit here on the Dreaming of Butterflies blog. 

This plus the fact that I gave  Andy his nickname when we first met, Legolas, because of his height, long dark blonde hair, gorgeous green eyes and wisdom beyond his years. So I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give my input on LOTR.

In the past, we've made other 20 life lessons lists from other books, movies and TV series, and this year we want to take it truly further and show more of us,  through these articles, by showing you our favourite bits from pop culture.

Related:

20 Magical Life Lessons you learn from Harry Potter

20 Awesome Life Lessons you learn from FRIENDS

20 awesome life lessons you learn from Star Wars

As you may know by now, we're geeks here at Dreaming of Butterflies, and beyond our collection of Tolkien's LOTR books, Peter Jackson's movies - deluxe extended edition, of course, a LOTR colouring book, Andy also made me Thorin's mountain's key from The Hobbit and the Map! (as seen on our Instagram). So yes, we love LOTR.

Having this chance to share with you our own interpretation of some of the quotes from Middle Earth was just our way of expressing the love and admiration we have for Tolkien's universe. This question is mostly to blame, though, because I knew that I could definitely gather 20 life lessons and turn them into something more.

We hope you’ll enjoy the list we’ve put together for you today, and if you have anything to add or share with us, feel free to do so in the comments section, or on our Instagram.

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

20 Big life lessons learned from The Lord of the Rings

1. “Even the smallest person can change the course of history.”

One of the first things I remember about LOTR is how mesmerised I was with the beauty of the elves. Immortal supermodels with magical powers and wisdom, now that’s a winning combo in my books! And Galadriel especially isn’t one to ignore in this story.

Her words in this quote make me think of how much of an impact a child can have in someone’s life. I see some of my best friends growing up now married, with children, being more responsible, more protective, more careful with their life choices because of having kids. Their history has changed forever when they decided to go on this path.

2. “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the Ages of this world alone.” 

True love comes in all forms, colours, shapes and sizes, and even if it requires more sacrifices from one side than from the other, when you’ve found it, you know that it is worth it. And you would do anything in your power to be with that person, as my grandparents used to say, to grow old with that person and share everything - the good, the bad, the ugly.

For Andy and myself, it definitely is true love that we have, even if it started out as a winter fling, it turned into something way more than either of us could have anticipated when we first met.

3. “Not all those who wander are lost.”

This quote, in particular, makes me think of the path some parents have set for their children, and when they do not want to follow it, they are considered lost.

For Andy and me, it was when we both quit our University studies because it wasn’t the right path for us. Our parents thought we were mad, and that it wasn’t right, that we were crazy, and all of that jazz. They couldn’t understand that we were lost before.

Your path in life may be way different than the ones of your family and friends, because you decided that you want something else out of this life, something more, and that’s totally okay. As long as you have the courage to follow it, you are not lost.

4. “There’s some good in this world, Mr Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.” 

Sometimes, life throws so much shit at you that you just can’t take it anymore, as I’m sure you know. 

In the past decade alone, we’ve lost our first business to bankruptcy and the stupid system, worked one crappy job after another just to repay our debts of the business, lost a grandfather and a father to cancer, 2 years apart, and found out that I, Maya, have a super rare genetic brain condition called subependymal grey matter heterotopia, that gives me random epilepsy seizures for no apparent reason and that can cause me serious problems in the years to come.

Or the fact that it’s already 2021, we managed to hit a record in postponing our wedding for 5 times in 5  years, and that we were supposed to be back in Scotland in April 2020.... but I digress.

So yes, when all this and more hits you, you may end up thinking that the Universe just hates you, and you want to quit everything, but you must remember the good. Always think about your loved ones, the things that make you smile, the small things that make your day-to-day life worth it.

If you've started a new business and it's hit a rough patch, remember why you did it.

5. “I am no man.”

This one is for all you gorgeous geeky women, and drag queens out there that need a confidence boost once in a while. Remember that you are strong and brave, and smart, and that you should never let yourself be compared to anyone, in any situation.

I’m sorry my dear gentlemen, this is by no means a hit to you and your manhood, as any true gentleman will only appreciate and help uplift the woman that is in his arms, and help her be the best of her version, and will not try to keep her in a box, as an object.

6. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” 

This is one of my personal favourites, as I am sure it speaks to so many of you as well, because of how simple and beautiful Gandalf puts it.  You are the only one that decides how you spend your time in this life,  where you go, what you do, who you surround yourself with.

7. “End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.” 

This is one of the quotes that helps one deal with the loss of someone very special to one’s heart, and it helps in thinking of death as another adventure, as opposed to something bad, dark, negative.

Personally, after losing my grandfather and my father to cancer, all that I needed was to focus on anything and everyone else in order to deal with the loss, and when I found this quote again, it was like a ray of sunshine in my mind. It reminded me that life is an adventure, and death is not the end of it, just a hidden level we only reach when we have to. 

8. “Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know.”

In other words, listen to your elders! They may not always be right, but you will always find a good life lesson in a conversation with an older member of your family for example.  

9. “But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.”

This is again related to the hard times life will hit you with, and it helps in reassuring you that they will end and that the sunny days will always come after the rain.

You just have to keep yourself positive, even if sometimes it might seem like an impossible thing to do.

Andy always keeps me in check when it comes to this, and I do the same when times get tough. 

10. “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.”

Procrastination at its finest is what I think of when I read this. You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?  I see you standing there, binge-watching How I Met Your Mother again on Netflix for the 1000th time…

Let this quote be like a push for you to get off the couch and do something! Finish that book, organize that closet, do those exercises to get in shape!

11. “It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit.”

If you are in your late 20s, early 30s, you already know that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you’ll have times when you’ll want to give up because of the stress, the madness, the crazy, but remember this: Arwen never stopped hoping, Frodo and Sam didn’t give up their mission, Gandalf the Grey fought the Balrog and emerged even stronger and wiser as Gandalf the White, even Faramir stood up for himself and confronted his crazy father!

As long as you can keep your spirits up, and your mind calm(er), you’ll conquer any difficult situation. Learn how to meditate, laugh more, surround yourself with people and stuff that make you happy, play more. Do whatever it is that relaxes you, even if it’s for a second, and you’ll be able to get through the toughest times. 

12. “It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing.”

I don't know about you, but back in school,  I was both bullied and a bully as well sometimes, because it was just my own way of protecting myself from the pain and the shame that I felt.

Over the years, I've realized that the stupidest thing I've done is to respond that way to those people because it never actually solved anything. Instead, I began to focus more on myself than anyone else and to not mind about whatever anyone had to comment about me.

The lesson here is to not focus your energy and attention on something that you can't control, and don't try to respond the same way to whatever you encounter. 

Think of where that response might come, try to understand it if you want, but make sure you stay on your own path.

13. "Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised."

Don't expect validation and admiration for everything you do well because you will most definitely never get it. That's just how real life works. As long as you know you did a good job, you'll be fine!

In your professional life, you’ll always find people that feel that for every action they make they must be rewarded with something, and if they do more than their job description, they feel the need to receive a medal or some sort of trophy, or even a statue in some cases. 

At some point, even you’ll be seduced by this dark side and want those rewards as well, but keep this quote in mind, for those situations and bring yourself back. 

14. "A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship."

Doesn’t this quote just make you think of the need for fellowship everyone has, human and other, all the way from good kings to the worst villains? We all need someone to share our stories, our burdens, all those Covid conspiracy theories (*wink wink) and everything else with.

This is a universal truth that will always exist. Now, who we choose to trust and bring within our inner circle is totally up to each and every one of us, but, speaking from experience, having a good screening system and listening to your instincts is vital before any commitment. 

15. "He that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom."

In simple terms, don’t be a “fool of a Took!” and destroy something just to try and fully understand it. 

This reminds me of the story of those scientists that managed to kill the oldest giant squid found just because they needed to know how old it was, or others who cut down trees for the same crazy reason. 

16. "The burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart."

In other words, you learn better from your mistakes than anything else. This does include, unfortunately for most of us, learning from others’ mistakes as well, “the trait of the intelligent”, as my mother would call it.

Don’t get me wrong, not everyone can learn from all other people’s mistakes, and that’s okay. This doesn’t make you any less of a smart person. It just makes you human for a change.

17. "The world is indeed full of peril, and in it, there are many dark places; but still, there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater."

This is adulthood. With the good, the bad, and the ugly, as they say.  Starting in your young adulthood and onwards, you’ll experience love, loss, heartbreak, success, laughter and also tears. 

All you can do is to prepare yourself to face the hard times and enjoy the good, however short they may be.

18. "It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in use for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule."

In other words, let’s leave this Earth cleaner than we found it, so that the generations that come after us have a place to live a healthy life in, even if we don’t know what changes may occur in this life for them.

I’m glad to see that even in Middle Earth, there is some sort of responsibility for the environment. As we only live for a small period of time on this planet, compared to other beings, I find it our duty to make smarter choices, cleaner choices.

19. "Someone else always has to carry on the story."

This is such a beautiful and simple quote that makes me think about legacy, responsibility, memories. Bilbo sure knew what he was talking about.

It makes me hope that each of us knows that life is an adventure and that our time spent here will make us want to explore more and more as time passes, and to overcome our conditions. Just to have something to give to future generations. 

20. "Who knows? Have patience. Go where you must go, and hope!"

Nothing good ever comes easy, that’s for sure. This includes but it’s definitely not limited to adulting, travelling, blogging, working or having a comfortable life. 

All we can do is try our best, take it slow, learn as much as we can on the way and, as the quote says, have patience.

Andy and I have this wish that with our tiny blog we’ll help more people one day. To make someone smile, teach someone something valuable, and when we make more money with it, donate part of our earnings. That’s our hope. What’s yours? Feel free to share it with us!

Aaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed our top 20 life lessons of today’s selection: life lessons learned from LOTR. And as always, if you liked it, don’t forget to share it, pin it, tweet it! 

Question of the day today is: If you could be any race in the Tolkien universe, what would you be? Hobbit? Elf? Orc?