Quotes By Leo Tolstoy

I have to create a circle of reading for myself: Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, The New Testament. This is also necessary for all people.

Division of labor is a justification for sloth.

In the spiritual realm nothing is indifferent: what is not useful is harmful.

Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us.

The more intelligent a person is, the more he discovers kindness in others. For nothing enriches the world more than kindness. It makes mysterious things clear, difficult things easy, and dull things cheerful.

The difference between real material poison and intellectual poison is that most material poison is disgusting to the taste, but intellectual poison, which takes the form of cheap newspapers or bad books, can unfortunately sometimes be attractive.

Love is the only way to rescue humanity from all ills.

The only purpose of education is freedom; the only method is experience.

Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.

Love alone is the only reasonable activity or pursuit of humankind....For Love not only annihilates our fear of meaninglessness but empowers us to seek the happiness of others. And this indeed is our greatest happiness.

Humanity unceasingly strives forward from a lower, more partial and obscure understanding of life to one more general and more lucid.

Art can compel people freely, gladly, and spontaneously to sacrifice themselves in the service of man.

The more we live by our intellect, the less we understand the meaning of life.

Act as if you are, and you will become such.

Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.

An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life-becoming a better person.

It is not beauty that endears, it's love that makes us see beauty.

Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.

Let us forgive each other - only then will we live in peace.

A man on a thousand mile walk has to forget his goal and say to himself every morning, 'Today I'm going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.