Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien: “I am a Christian, and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect 'history' to be anything but a 'long defeat'.”

Tolkien's quote expresses a profound, religiously informed pessimism about the course of human history. For him, the Christian narrative implies a continuous struggle against evil, viewing historical progress as a series of losses rather than triumphs.

Reflecting on his faith and the state of the world post-World War II, Tolkien shared this perspective in a letter. This era was marked by the ongoing Cold War and a sense of disillusionment, which resonated with his theological view of history.

English writer, poet, philologist, and academic, best known as the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford.