Hopefully my sermons have more clarity than Bilbo’s eleventy first birthday speech.
Addressing his community, the enigmatic Bilbo said:
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.
Tolkien continued:
This was unexpected and rather difficult. There was some scattered clapping and most of them were trying to work it out and see if it came to a compliment (The Fellowship of the Ring, 54-55, emphasis his).
There is no particular significance to the quote, that I know of. . . I like it in any case.
“I am going. I am leaving now. Good-bye (page 55).”
For the life of me, I can’t understand what Bilbo said …
But it’s so true!
Gunny, there has to be a place for you to use this in your homiletics classes.
Thanks, btw, for the list of hom books. It was helpful to know what you use.