For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him...
For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.
![J. R. R. Tolkien Quote About Hope, Light, Shadow: For Like A Shaft Clear...](http://qt.azureedge.net/resources/quotes-images-large/for-like-a-shaft-clear-and-cold-the-thought-pierced-him-that-in-the-end-the-sha-b4e48e139ee87615093cc24f236d5f01.jpg)
For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.