Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy; 9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time...
NationalityRussian
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth28 August 1828
CountryRussian Federation
reality dust ideas
I do value my work awfully; but in reality only consider this: all this world of ours is nothing but a speck of mildew, which has grown up on a tiny planet. And for us to suppose we can have something great - ideas, work - it's all dust and ashes.
real ideas people
The idea, shared by many, that life is a vale of tears, is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority, the idea to which youth and health and riches incline you, that life is a place of entertainment. Life is a place of service, and in that service one has to suffer a great deal that is hard to bear, but more often to experience a great deal of joy. But that joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.
death ideas mistaken
He who has a mistaken idea of life, will always have a mistaken idea of death.
wise ideas useful-things
The ideas of the wise have been tested by centuries. Everything medium is lost and only original, deep and useful things are left.
ideas interesting perfect
Too much polishing and you spoil things. There's a limit to the expressibility of ideas. You have a new thought, an interesting one. Then, as you try to perfect it, it ceases to be new and interesting, and loses the freshness with which it first occurred to you. You're spoiling it.
book ideas
Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.
happiness ideas knows
They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us--there is no life.
life ideas tears
The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority, the idea to which youth and health and riches incline you, that life is a place of entertainment.
ideas sheep safe
But our idea is that the wolves should be fed and the sheep kept safe.
ideas people should
Many people have ideas on how others should change; few people have ideas on how they should change.
art ideas imagination
The idea of beauty is the fundamental idea of everything. In the world we see only distortions of the fundamental idea, but art, by imagination, may lift itself to the height of this idea. Art is therefore akin to creation.
easier practice principle produce ten volumes
It is easier to produce ten volumes of philosophical writing than to put one principle into practice
church convinced crafty evil gross practice teaching theory witchcraft
I am convinced that the teaching of the church is in theory a crafty and evil lie, and in practice a concoction of gross superstition and witchcraft
beautiful beauty hear illusion strange suppose thoughts wise woman
What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness! A beautiful woman utters absurdities: we listen, and we hear not the absurdities but wise thoughts