J. R. R. Tolkien The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien No. 45: To his son Michael Tolkien (1941-06-09).
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I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.

— J. R. R. Tolkien on Adolf Hitler

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light." in the context of "J. R. R. Tolkien The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien No. 45: To his son Michael Tolkien (1941-06-09)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Adolf Hitler" (Quotes about Hitler, Quotes before the end of World War II: (Note: many of the worst atrocities of Hitler's regime did not begin to become widely known until the final months of the war) Sorted chronologically) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
J. R. R. Tolkien

About J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3 1892 – September 2 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, most famous for his classic high fantasy works.