Alphavibration

Ted Nasmith, No Way Down — Illustration from The Lord of the Rings

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“When heaven is about to impose an important office upon a man, it first embitters his heart in its purpose; it causes him to exert his bones and sinews; it lets his body suffer hunger; it inflicts upon him want and poverty, and confounds his undertakings. In this way it stimulates his heart, steels his nature, and supplies that of which the man would be incapable.”