Ethics of Power in The Lord of the Rings

Certain friends of mine have told me I make J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy writings sound like some kind of religious prophecy. I actually find this to be a compliment because that is exactly what I intend! I have always said that The Lord of the Rings was my first Bible. It is one of the four great works that changed my life (albeit at age 10). I was challenged to find ten quotes in The Lord of the Rings which are philosophically and morally significant. This is not a challenge at all, I can point to at least fifty or sixty such quotes. But the most powerful ones have all revolved around the subject of power and power destroying good. Even when used for good power will produce evil in the end. Tolkien really understood this. I do not know if he consciously brought in so many references on the topic into his writing, but they are certainly there. And there are few writers as eloquent and wonderful in their writing as Tolkien. The two best quotations are probably from my two favourite characters in LOTR:

"I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."

"Don't... tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use this ring from a desire to do good... But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine."

We must understand that the fabled One Ring is a symbol of ultimate power. Power is always evil, never good. As I wrote several posts ago, we cannot employ power and coercion for good, only for bad. But do we really need Faramir or Gandalf to tell us this?!

"Power attracts the corruptible. Suspect all who seek it." - Frank Herbert. Fantasy and sci fi authors really do get it right!