- High King Gil-galad: I ask again, and for the last time, did the Dwarves find the ore or not?
- Elrond: I swore an oath to Durin. To some, that may now hold little weight. But in my esteem, it is by such things our very souls are bound. I do not intend to let mine slip away on the basis of mere hope.
- High King Gil-galad: Hope is never mere, Elrond, even when it is meager. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken, last to shut. If the elves abandon Middle Earth now, the armies of darkness will march over the face of the earth. It will be the end not just of our people, but all peoples. If the hope of preventing that is not reason enough to make you reconsider your oath, I suggest you find another.