Leo Tolstoy Quotes: Timeless Wisdom From A Literary Giant

Welcome to the ultimate collection of Leo Tolstoy quotes, where the profound thoughts of one of history's greatest literary figures come to life. Leo Tolstoy, the renowned Russian author, philosopher, and social reformer, has left an unforgettable mark on the world with his insightful reflections on life, love, humanity, and the nature of existence. His works, including masterpieces like "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina," are celebrated for their deep exploration of human emotions and societal complexities.

In this comprehensive compilation, you'll discover Tolstoy's timeless wisdom organized into various themes to help you navigate through his rich legacy. Whether you seek inspiration, contemplation, or a deeper understanding of the human condition, these quotes will resonate with you and provide valuable insights. From the simplicity of nature's joys to the profound depths of human potential, Tolstoy's words continue to inspire and challenge us to think critically about our lives and our world.

Explore the following sections to immerse yourself in the enduring wisdom of Leo Tolstoy:

About Thoughts

All people live and act partly according to their own thoughts, partly according to the thoughts of others. To the extent that people live by their own thoughts and to the extent that they live by the thoughts of others is one of the main differences between people.

Think well and your thoughts will mature into good deeds.

Inspirational Leo Tolstoy Quotes About Life

Do not expect much from life; you will not have a better time than now... There is no happiness in life, there are only glimpses of it – appreciate them, live by them.

Every frankly expressed thought, no matter how false it may be, every clearly conveyed fantasy, no matter how absurd, cannot fail to find sympathy in some soul.

You cannot force yourself to love. But the fact that you do not love does not mean that there is no love in you, but only that there is something in you that prevents you from loving. Your soul is full of love, but it cannot open because your sins do not allow it. Free your soul from what defiles it.

Joy and Nature

As the sun warms the body, so joy warms the soul.

The purest joy is the joy of nature.

Best Leo Tolstoy Quotes On Humanity

"The entire history of humanity, as far as we know it, is a movement towards greater and greater unity. This unity is achieved by the most varied means: through trade relations, communication routes, telegraphs, printing, and, most importantly, by increasing love and respect among people. Those who work towards this unity serve it, and even those who oppose it inadvertently contribute to it. Thus, unity is one of those visible goals that humanity is destined to approach... Therefore, to fulfill the law of human life, we should support everything that unites people and distance ourselves from anything that divides them. By following this law, we inadvertently, even without desiring it, attain the greatest good available to people."

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On Art

Art is one of the means of distinguishing good from evil, one of the means of recognizing the good.

The artist's goal is not to indisputably resolve a question, but to compel others to love life in all its countless, inexhaustible manifestations.

On Human Potential and Self-Love

I am convinced that infinite power is instilled in man, not only moral but even physical, but at the same time, a terrible brake is imposed on this power - self-love, or rather the memory of oneself, which produces impotence. But as soon as a person escapes from this brake, he gains omnipotence.

Knowledge is a tool, not a goal.

On Love and Life

The greatest truths are the simplest.

To love means to live the life of the one you love.

Where there is love, there is God.

Life is constant change: the weakening of the flesh and the strengthening, the increase of spiritual life.

Love? What is love? Love hinders death. Love is life. Everything, everything I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything exists, everything is, only because I love. Everything is connected by it alone. Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to the common and eternal source.

Deep Leo Tolstoy Quotes

The world moves forward thanks to those who suffer.

The true strength of a person is not in outbursts but in unshakable calm.

Children are not deterred by severity; they only cannot bear lies.

We know that loaded guns must be handled carefully. And we do not want to know that words must be handled just as carefully. A word can kill and do worse harm than death.

It is not about knowing a lot, but about knowing the most necessary of all that can be known.

The degree of a person's truthfulness is an indicator of the degree of his moral perfection.

In a dream, there is a side that is better than reality; in reality, there is a side that is better than a dream. Complete happiness would be a combination of both.

People often pride themselves on the purity of their conscience only because they have a short memory.

Nothing weakens a person's strength as much as hoping to find salvation and good in something other than one's own effort.

About Government & Madmen

The power of the government rests on the ignorance of the people, and it knows this, and therefore it will always fight against enlightenment. It is time for us to understand this.

I am seriously convinced that the world is ruled by complete madmen.

Madmen always better achieve their goals than healthy people. This is because they have no moral barriers, no shame, no justice, not even fear.

Quotes From The Book "War and Peace"

"One must believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy."

"One must live, one must love, one must believe." — Pierre Bezukhov

"Recently, life has become difficult for me. I have begun to understand too much." — Andrei Bolkonsky

"He who understands everything will forgive everything." — Marya Bolkonskaya

"The battle is won by the one who is firmly resolved to win it!" — Andrei Bolkonsky

"Everything comes in time to those who can wait."

"There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, and truth."

"If evil people are bound together and constitute a force, then honest people must do the same."

"I know only two real misfortunes in life: remorse of conscience and illness. And happiness is just the absence of these two evils."

"Why speak when one cannot express what one feels in words."

"What is just and unjust is not for people to judge. People have always erred and will always err, and in nothing more than in what they consider just and unjust."

"War is not courtesy but the vilest thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. (...) For war is the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people."

"We think, when we are thrown out of the usual rut, that everything is lost; but it is only then that the new and good begins. As long as there is life, there is happiness."

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