Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains one of cinema’s most poignant and beautiful works. For better or worse, the trilogy also helped shape the visual style we now associate with fantasy. No matter how much time has passed, The Lord of the Rings has left a lasting mark on the genre.
However, The Lord of the Rings also proved extraordinary in other ways. For one thing, every character, major or minor, has at least one fantastic quote that adds tremendous depth. Gandalf might have some of the best lines in the franchise, but Aragorn — the cloaked ranger who stole all our hearts the moment he first appeared — also has plenty of quotable zingers delivered perfectly by Viggo Mortensen.
But what is Aragorn’s best quote? That’s a tough one to pick, especially with amazing lines like “For Frodo” and “I do not fear death.” Still, we think we’ve picked Aragorn’s most memorable line, and it perfectly captures the heart of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Aragorn is one of Middle-earth’s most honorable characters.
Though he has spent much of his life in the background, hoping for something simpler, he will do whatever it takes to do the right thing when push comes to shove. That doesn’t make him a bastion of goodness — he has selfish moments, too — but overall, Aragorn is defined by his loyalty to those around him. This loyalty is on full display when Frodo approaches Aragorn at Amon Hen during The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
After seeing a vision of destruction and war, and only shortly after surviving Boromir's attack to seize the One Ring, Frodo is convinced he must head to the fires of Mordor alone. When Frodo tells Aragorn his plan, Aragorn isn’t pleased, but accepts his decision, knowing the Ring is too tempting and can turn people against one another, as it did with Boromir. Yet before Frodo leaves, Aragorn displays just how noble and reliable he is with this heartfelt quote: “I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor.” After losing so many allies, and with the Fellowship breaking apart so soon, Aragorn’s words show that the ranger deeply believes in Frodo’s mission—even if he won’t be there to see it done.
It’s established early in The Fellowship of the Ring that Frodo’s journey will ask those in the Fellowship to endure innumerable hardships, pain, and sacrifice. Even so, what a person must sacrifice — whether it be their sanity or even their life — only becomes apparent as the group continues its journey. By the time the movie ends, the Fellowship has split up.
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