J.R.R. Tolkien is known for the eloquence in his writing. To demonstrate this, Cliff Quickbeam Broadway of TheOneRing.net has taken the time to compile some memorable passages from The Lord of the Rings. “Tolkien’s Greatest Hits – The Most Impressive Wordplay from our Favorite Author,” posted online May 8, 2013, lists tidbits such as

“And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.”

and

“Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”

Fans would later expand upon the last quote as “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”

How did Tolkien achieve his literary greatness?  Broadway quotes Tolkien from a letter to Milton Waldman in 1950, regarding his epic saga:

… It was begun in 1936, and every part has been written many times. Hardly a word in its 600,000 or more has been unconsidered. And the placing, size, style, and contribution to the whole of all the features, incidents, and chapters has been laboriously pondered.

To achieve excellence, one must pursue it. And that’s what Tolkien did.