Pretty sure it says something along those lines in a letter replying to a fan in regards to the origin of the orcs, but I think it is something closer to

"Evil cannot create life, it can only corrupt what God already made"

And I'm sure the exact wording varies. By the looks of it, probably what Tolkiengateway calls "letter 153", but the Tolkien estate seems to have done a thorough job of scrubbing that from the internet, so I can't say for certain. Probably published in the History of Middle Earth or something.

Pretty sure it says something along those lines in a fan letter in regards to the origin of the orcs, but I think it is something closer to

"Evil cannot create life, it can only corrupt what God already made"

And I'm sure the exact wording varies. By the looks of it, probably what Tolkiengateway calls "letter 153", but the Tolkien estate seems to have done a thorough job of scrubbing that from the internet, so I can't say for certain. Probably published in the History of Middle Earth or something.

Pretty sure is says something along those lines in a fan letter in regards to the origin of the orcs, but I think it is something closer to

"Evil cannot create life, it can only corrupt what God already made"

And I'm sure the exact wording varies. By the looks of it, probably what Tolkiengateway calls "letter 153", but the Tolkien estate seems to have done a thorough job of scrubbing that from the internet, so I can't say for certain. Probably published in the History of Middle Earth or something.