When you quoted Tolkien, were you quoting the film?  The quote as written in the book, in the chapter 'The Shadow of the Past', in 'The Fellowship of the Ring', is slightly different.

"But last night  I told you of Sauron the great, the Dark Lord.  The rumours you have heard are true: he has indeed arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood and returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor.  Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow grows again".

{And I think that Tolkien, Catholic, medieval scholar, steeped in the history and literature of early medieval Europe, is giving us a taste, through epic fantasy, of what it must have been like - in times past - to face the rising of the *real* Shadow, the dark shadow of Jihad, that had assailed Europe repeatedly, and been repeatedly beaten back in desperate battle, only to return, from the 7th century to the 17th - dda},

"I wish it [i.e. the return of Sauron] need not have happened in my time", said Frodo.

 "So do I," said Gandalf. "And so do all who live to see such times.  But that is not for them to decide.  All that we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us...".

Then, a good deal later in the conversation,  Frodo also says, "I am not made for perilous quests.  I wish I had never seen the Ring!  Why did it come to me?  Why was I chosen?"

"Such questions cannot be answered", said Gandalf.  "You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess, nor for power or wisdom, at any rate.  But you have been chosen, and  you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have."

The same theme is reiterated in the second part of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', in the chapter, 'The Council of Elrond', when Elrond says:

"...yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world; small hands do them, because they must, while the eyes of the Great are elsewhere", and again:

"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great.  Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck?" END QUOTE.

I think our poets - Tolkien, C S Lewis (see The Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle), and J K Rowling - have been wiser even than they themselves knew; and far wiser than our pundits and politicians.

Thank you for your insightful comments.

You are correct, the quote is from the film, not from the novels. I thought the film version was more to the point, no offense to JRR, of course intended. Now, the next question is what - other than the passage quoted by you and referenced in the speech itself is the best speech in the trilogy? Two possible contenders follow (there are so many):

(from the film, again)

King Theodon at Gondor: "Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises!

Aragorn (at the Black Gates): "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolfes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! THIS DAY WE FIGHT! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

Of course, some folks think that the trilogy should have been, well, a novella...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU&feature=player_embedded

Thank you for your insight.  We Americans must wake up and rise above the rethoric of our elected officials and recognize the dangers that we face both within and without our borders.  We must come together and share the same spirit that The Founders had when they formed this Republic.

As a Black person, I have come to understand this and have taken an active role in standing up for my Freedom and Liberty.  I am involved as a speaker, Tea Party leader, and blogger.  God bless America!

"Freedom And LIBERTY- Use Them Or Lose Them"