Why did Sauron think that no one in possession of the One Ring would want to destroy it?

Question

In The Two Towers Gandalf says to Aragorn

Indeed he is in great fear, not knowing what mighty one may suddenly appear, wielding the Ring, and assailing him with war, seeking to cast him down and take his place. That we should wish to cast him down and have no one in his place is not a thought that occurs to his mind. That we should try to destroy the Ring itself has not yet entered into his darkest dream.

~ The Two Towers - The White Rider

My question is that why did Sauron, being clever as he is, did not think that the free people's would want to destroy the One Ring?

Answer 1

Sauron could not fathom anyone being able to withstand the power

It is stated in the Council of Elrond, as other methods of disposing of the ring are brought up, when Gandalf makes a point that Sauron would never think of anyone wanting to destroy the ring, because of the great power it possesses:

"Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it, that having the Ring we may seek to destroy it. If we seek this, we shall put him out of reckoning."
_{The Fellowship of the Ring - The Council of Elrond}

And Sauron was right: even for Frodo, who had borne the ring countless leagues, the temptation in the end was too great just before its destruction, and without the help of Gollum the Fellowship would not have been successful.

‘I have come,’ [Frodo] said. ‘But I do not choose to do what I came to do. I will not do this deed. The Ring is mine!’ And suddenly, as he set it on his finger, he vanished from Sam’s sight.
_{The Return of the King}

Frodo is shown giving in to the temptation of the ring when it comes to his final hurdle, and he submits to its power. It was however his initial resilience and Sauron’s mistaken thought that led him to leaving Mount Doom unguarded.

Finally as excellently pointed out by @Pryftan in his answer found here, Tolkien writes, in the famed Letter 131, that Sauron did not need to wield the ring to hold his power unless it was claimed by someone else. It goes on to describe how he was convinced that no one could possibly destroy the ring before succumbing to it. (Which we've shown above to be true).

But to achieve this he had been obliged to let a great part of his own inherent power (a frequent and very significant motive in myth and fairy-story) pass into the One Ring. While he wore it, his power on earth was actually enhanced. But even if he did not wear it, that power existed and was in 'rapport' with himself: he was not 'diminished'. Unless some other seized it and became possessed of it. If that happened, the new possessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place. This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessful) to enslave the Elves, and his desire to establish control over the minds and wills of his servants. There was another weakness: if the One Ring was actually unmade, annihilated, then its power would be dissolved, Sauron's own being would be diminished to vanishing point, and he would be reduced to a shadow, a mere memory of malicious will. But that he never contemplated nor feared. The Ring was unbreakable by any smithcraft less than his own. It was indissoluble in any fire, save the undying subterranean fire where it was made - and that was unapproachable, in Mordor. Also so great was the Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it; it was beyond the strength of any will (even his own) to injure it, cast it away, or neglect it. So he thought. It was in any case on his finger.
_{The Letter of J.R.R. Tolkien - Letter 131, to Milton Waldman}

Tolkien clearly outlines that Sauron was unable to realise that anyone would get through Mordor, up the side of Orodruin and into the Sammath Naur without having given in to the temptations of the ring. This is most likely because he had never met Hobbits nor was able to foresee their lack of desire for power and their content for a simple life.

Again, as @Pryftan states, it is speculated that Gollum's "slip" was one of the interruptions by Eru Iluvatar (the Almighty) in the series which ended up destroying the One Ring.

Answer 2

Tolkien talks about this in Letter #131. It's a rather long letter but the part that is relevant is thus (I am typing this out and so any mistake is my fault).

[Aside: Tolkien explains first how Sauron became almost supreme in Middle-earth wearing the One Ring: he did after all dominate multiplying hordes of Men that had no contact with Elves and had a growing empire. Then he - Tolkien - continues on as below]

But to achieve this he had been obliged to let a great part of his own inherent power (a frequent and very significant motive in myth and fairy-story) pass into the One Ring. While he wore it, his power on earth was actually enhanced. But even if he did not wear it, that power existed and was in 'rapport' with himself: he was not 'diminished'. Unless some other seized it and became possessed of it. If that happened, the new possessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place. This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessful) to enslave the Elves, and his desire to establish control over the minds and wills of his servants. There was another weakness: if the One Ring was actually unmade, annihilated, then its power would be dissolved, Sauron's own being would be diminished to vanishing point, and he would be reduced to a shadow, a mere memory of malicious will. But that he never contemplated nor feared. The Ring was unbreakable by any smithcraft less than his own. It was indissoluble in any fire, save the undying subterranean fire where it was made - and that was unapproachable, in Mordor. Also so great was the Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it; it was beyond the strength of any will (even his own) to injure it, cast it away, or neglect it. So he thought. It was in any case on his finger.

Sauron truly believed nobody could destroy it even if they went towards Sammath Naur to do so: as we see when Frodo arrives there he cannot do the task. Tolkien writes about this also though I am not sure what letter it was in. One might argue that of course Sauron wouldn't destroy it (in response to the last bold part of the letter) as it'd destroy his power but that's missing the point: the lure of the Ring was in his mind too powerful and nobody could destroy it. And the closer - as we see with Frodo - the person gets there the more powerful the Ring's influence. Ultimately it would be Gollum's lust for the Ring and Eru Ilúvatar making him fall into the fire, that would allow the quest to not fail.

---

Edit:

In a comment to another answer I noted that if Sam had understood Gollum and Frodo's relationship better he would have instead helped them into Mordor and would have after taking the Ring from Frodo cast himself into the fire. This is a part of a letter that explains it. As an added bonus it has another bit that explains once again how Sauron didn't think anyone would be willing to destroy the Ring.

If he had understood better what was going on between Frodo and Gollum, things might have turned out differently in the end. For me perhaps the most tragic moment in the Tale in II 323 ff. when Sam fails to note the complete change in Gollum's tone and aspect. 'Nothing, nothing,' said Gollum softly. 'Nice master!'. His repentance is blighted and all Frodo's pity is (in a sense) wasted. Shelob's lair became inevitable.

This is due of course to the 'logic of the story'. Sam could hardly have acted differently. (He did reach the point of pity at last (III 221-222[4]) but for the good of Gollum too late). If he had, what could then have happened? The course of the entry into Mordor and the struggle to reach Mount Doom would have been different, and so would the ending. The interest would have shifted to Gollum, I think, and the battle that would have gone on between his repentance and his new love on one side and the Ring. Though the love would have been strengthened daily it could not have wrested the mastery from the Ring. **I think that in some queer twisted and pitiable way Gollum would have tried (not maybe with conscious design) to satisfy both. Certainly at some point not long before the end he would have stolen the Ring or taken it by violence (as he does in the actual Tale). But 'possession' satisfied, I think he would have then sacrificed himself for Frodo's sake and have voluntarily cast himself into the fiery abyss.

I think that an effect of his partial regeneration by love would have been a clearer vision when he claimed the Ring. He would have perceived the evil of Sauron, and suddenly realized that he could not use the Ring and had not the strength or stature to keep it in Sauron's despite: the only way to keep it and hurt Sauron was to destroy it and himself together--and in a flash he may have seen that this would also be the greatest service to Frodo.** Frodo in the tale actually takes the Ring and claims it, and certainly he too would have had a clear vision - but he was not given any time: he was immediately attacked by Gollum. When Sauron was aware of the seizure of the Ring his one hope was in its power: that the claimant would be unable to relinquish it until Sauron had time to deal with him. Frodo too would then probably, if not attacked, have had to take the same way: cast himself with the Ring into the abyss.

[4] This is a footnote of the letter itself; I didn't notice it until after I took a picture, emailed it to myself and was transcribing it. I don't think I need cite it however.

Answer 3

Because Sauron crafted the One Ring to exert power over the other rings ("One Ring to rule them all", etc.)

People have a tendency to view the world through their own filters. If someone finds a given thing desirable, they often expect other people to find it desirable as well. That's sort of human nature.

Sauron desires power, and so he expects everyone else to want power as well. Therefore, the idea that someone might find the One Ring and use it to overthrow him seems obvious.

The idea that someone might find the One Ring and choose to destroy it is completely anathema to him. That would be rejecting the power it contains - something Sauron himself would never do - and so he has trouble imagining anyone else might do it either.

Answer 4

When your whole being has turned into a self-centered lust for power, the idea that someone else might voluntarily give up that power just doesn't make sense. This was said about Sauron in a different context, but is quite applicable:

'Strange powers have our enemies, and strange weaknesses!' said Theoden. 'But it has long been said: oft evil will shall evil mar. '

Answer 5

Why do people who overthrow tyrants so often become (arguably even worse) tyrants themselves?

It's not that the Ring would insidiously corrupt anyone who took it, though it would indeed do that. It's just as Gandalf says: Sauron himself was ruled by his own desire for power, and simply could not comprehend that someone, given the opportunity for power, would not desire it in the same way he did. Yet in LOTR we see a number of people doing just that. Not Bilbo or Frodo, really, who couldn't use the Ring's power, but others like Tom Bombadil, Elrond, Gandalf, and Galadriel, who probably could have wielded it, but chose not to take it.

Answer 6

Others have already well explained why the thought didn't even occur to Sauron, to destroy the most powerful and precious thing in the world would've been an utterly alien concept to him.

One important thing to note though is that the story kind of proves him right not to even consider it, because even if he considered the idea, he'd dismiss it because no one can destroy the ring. Even someone strong enough to withstand its seductive powers like Frodo (of whom it is rather explicitly said "If you can't do it, no one else even stands a chance") breaks down completely when confronted with the task of actually destroying it.

There are only two instances of someone giving up the ring out of his own free will, one was Bilbo who had to be coaxed to do it very strongly by Gandalf, and the other was Sam in Mordor when giving it back to Frodo. And at least in my opinion it's highly doubtful if Sam would've had the strength to actually throw the ring into the volcano in the end had he gotten there on his own.

And Sauron knows how seductive the ring is, because he made it so.

If you think about it like that, the question becomes "Why did Sauron think that no one would try to do something that's plainly impossible to do?", I think the matter becomes rather clear, even made clearer by the fact that he's obviously correct, no being in the world would have had the strength of will to cast the ring into the fire.

Answer 7

Sauron thinks the Ring is the most useful and valuable thing ever. He wouldn't conceive of destroying it. Imagine a different scenario:

"Curses! I have lost my sack containing my billion dollar fortune in gold! I'll have to build up my savings to dominate the world again! This will set me back CENTURIES!

"And worse, I don't know where it's got to! What if someone else finds my bag of gold? They'll use it to raise their own army and challenge my rule!

"At least I can take comfort in the fact that all that gold will corrupt whoever gets it. That ought to muddle their mind a lot, maybe distract them so they will make mistakes. In the meantime, I'll build a bigger army with more gold and better strategy than they will have and out-fight them. I can salvage this."

Except for the fact of destroying the gold not causing any harm to this villain, I think this is comparable. Sauron would think that if anyone found the Ring and realized what it was they would USE it. What else would you do with it?

If you somehow magically got hold of all of the nuclear weapons in the world and the means to manufacture more would you destroy them? Or bend the world to your will? This is even without the magic power of the Ring over the bearer's will.