Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910) was a Russian thinker and novelist known worldwide mainly for great literary works: Anna Karenina, War and Peace or The Cossacks.

The works of this famous author are possibly among the most acclaimed internationally. Who has not read or heard of War and Peace? Without a doubt, this is a must-read book that we should all read at least once in our lives. Tolstoy lived a very difficult life: he was in the army, he got in touch with anarchists and he even spoke through letters with Mahatma Gandhi himself.

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Famous phrases of Leo Tolstoy

This writer would give to make a complete film of him but perhaps it would take too much time, so we have decided to make a brief selection of the 75 best phrases of Leo Tolstoy , so that everyone can discover this fantastic thinker of the twentieth century.

1. The only absolute knowledge that man can attain is that life has no meaning.

We are the ones who give meaning to our lives.

2. Ambition pairs us well with goodness, but with pride, cunning and cruelty.

Unbridled ambition can take us to places we don’t want to be.

3. Everyone thinks about changing the world, but no one thinks about changing himself.

In order to change the world effectively we must first change ourselves and secondly the society in which we live.

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

Being happy depends solely and exclusively on wanting to be happy, we make ourselves happy or deprive ourselves of it.

5. If you want to be happy, be.

Be happy, your own life depends on it.

6. When you love someone, you love the person as they are, and not as you would like them to be.

To truly love someone we must first know that person deeply.

7. Is it really possible to tell someone else how you feel?

Honesty is something that in today’s society is conspicuous by its absence.

8. There is less charm in life when you think of death, but it is more peaceful.

Awareness of one’s own death is something that can benefit or harm us, it all depends on how we view that awareness.

9. It’s much better to do good in a way that no one knows about.

The greatest good is that which we do regardless of what others think.

10. What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness.

Something beautiful or nice, doesn’t have to be necessarily good or honest.

11. All happy families are equal; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Our personal and family relationships affect us deeply in our way of being.

12. God is the same everywhere.

The concept of god is something that Ptolemy discussed openly.

13. The government is an association of men who exercise violence over everyone else.

Government can indeed be a tool for controlling the population, but morally and ethically it should not be so.

14. Kings are the slaves of history.

History gives us a perhaps rather biased view of what a king really was or was not.

15. The best stories don’t come from good versus bad, but from good versus good.

In wars, there are often no “good” or “bad” nations; they are simply nations that are confronted by conflicting interests. One of Leon Tolstoy’s 75 best phrases

16. Pure and complete pain is as impossible as pure and complete joy.

The situation deprives us, in most cases, of being fully aware of what we are experiencing.

17. In the name of God, stop for a moment, cease your work, look around you.

We must learn to be more aware of the moment we are living in and how we really want to live it.

18. He looked at her as a man might look at a faded flower he had plucked, in which it was difficult for him to trace the beauty that had made him choose and destroy it.

The human being can change his mind about any matter with great ease, whether it is a matter of third parties, property or real estate.

19. By digging into our souls, we often unearth something that should have been there without being seen.

Within all of us there are good qualities and bad attitudes, it is up to us which ones we want to promote.

20. Be bad, but at least don’t be a liar!

Lying is something that has always harmed society, it is better to be an honest “bad” than a “good” liar.

21. The wrong thing is still wrong because the majority is involved in it.

Even if everyone else does, if it’s wrong we shouldn’t replicate it.

22. Sometimes I did not know what I feared, what I desired: whether I feared or desired what had been or what would be, and precisely what I desired, I did not know.

Our own ideas drive us or prevent us from reaching our goals.

23. All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made of light and shadow.

Everything in life has positive and negative aspects, we must know what is really good for us.

24. Am I crazy, to see what others do not see, or are those responsible for everything I am seeing crazy?

Not all of society is fully aware of everything that surrounds it; we must value the knowledge we possess.

25. Spring is the time for plans and projects.

Spring is a time of natural renewal, a time that men can also take advantage of to reinvent themselves.

26. What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.

It is up to us to be compatible with another person, to understand them and accept them as they are.

27. Everything I know, I know for love.

Love is a very powerful force, we must appreciate it properly.

28. Because of the self-confidence with which he had spoken, no one could say whether what he said was very clever or very stupid.

Self-confidence allows us to be much more powerful in getting our message across.

29. Man cannot possess anything as long as he is afraid of death. But to the one who is not afraid, everything belongs to him.

Not fearing death allows us to live life more fully.

30. Love those who hate you.

Love is the only thing capable of turning an enemy into a friend.

31. He was afraid of profaning the love that filled his soul.

Knowing how to take care of the love we feel for someone depends only on ourselves.

32. Now I felt that not only was I close to her, but I didn’t know where she ended and began.

When we have a very close relationship with a person, that person becomes part of us.

33. Which is worse, the wolf that cries before eating the lamb, or the wolf that does not?

The wolf doesn’t feel sorry for the sheep he’s going to eat.

34. Music is short for emotion.

Music can transmit many emotions, not in vain is the saying: music tames the beasts.

35. Instead of going to Paris for lectures, go to the public library, and you won’t leave for twenty years, if you really want to learn.

Libraries can give us the opportunity to learn many things, they are a great source of wisdom.

36. Telling the truth is very difficult, and young people are rarely able to do so.

We must always tell the truth, so that we can lead a much more honest life.

37. I’m alive here, and it’s not my fault, so I have to try to get by as best I can without hurting anyone until death takes over.

It is our duty to live life as best we can, without hurting anyone and being honest with those around us.

38. Historians are like deaf people who continue to answer questions that no one has asked them.

Many times we do not value history as much as we should, it can teach us many things on many different subjects.

39. Marriage, as it exists today, is the worst of all lies: The supreme form of selfishness.

The conception of marriage is totally designed by the society in which we live. Is man really a monogamous animal?

40. It is all God’s will that you may die in your sleep and God may forgive you in battle.

Being able to transmit the full weight of a decision to the concept of God, allows us to live life without remorse.

41. One must be cunning and evil in this world.

Indeed, many times the most evil and cunning succeed in getting their way.

42. At best, praise or praise is needed for the simplest and friendliest of relationships, just as grease is needed to keep the wheels turning.

When we are praised or congratulated, we feel better about ourselves, and this allows us to have a closer and more affectionate relationship with our loved ones.

43. Something magical has happened to me: like a dream when one feels fearful and frightened, and suddenly wakes up knowing that there are no such terrors. I have woken up.

Having an awareness of what we want and what we must do to achieve it, that is something that not all of us possess.

44. I wanted movement and not a quiet course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger, and the opportunity to sacrifice for my love.

When we are young we are much more prone to adventure and strong emotions.

45. Whatever our destiny or whatever it may be, we have achieved it and we cannot complain.

The decisions we made have led us to the place where we are now.

46. In the middle of winter, I find within me the invisible summer…

Within us we can harbour the purest emotions, capable of transmitting all the warmth we need even in the middle of winter.

47. There will be today, there will be tomorrow, there will always be, and there was yesterday, and there is a day before…

The planet does not stop spinning, time does not stop no matter how much we want to avoid it.

48. Writing laws is easy, but governing is difficult.

Governing is not just about legislating, there are many more issues attached to the office.

49. He came down, trying not to look at her intensely, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.

Love can make us believe that the person we are with is the most beautiful in the universe, because for us at that moment he really is.

50. I’m glad you see me as I am. Above all, I wouldn’t want people to think I want to try something. I don’t want to prove anything, I just want to live; not to cause harm to anyone but myself. I have that right, don’t I?

Honesty is one of the most valuable qualities in human beings, we must be honest with others and we must expect the same honesty from them.

51. True life is lived when small changes occur.

Small changes can change our lives completely.

52. For me, the whole world is divided into two parts: one is where she is, and there is all happiness, hope, and light; the other is where she is not, and there is gloom and darkness.

As we can see on this date Tolstoy was a romantic, his partner meant a lot to him.

53. Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.

Respect is something that we must all have in our lives, we must respect others if we want to be respected.

54. Nothing is more necessary for a young man than the company of intelligent women.

Surrounding ourselves with intelligent people helps us to break down our own intellectual barriers.

55. Can it be that I have not lived as one should? Suddenly it came into his head. But how could it not, when I have done everything as it should be?

Doing things the right way may not fill us spiritually; we must take certain risks in our life in order to live it fully.

56. Ivan Ilich’s life had been the simplest and most ordinary, and therefore the most terrible.

A simple life is also often a bland and unemotional life.

57. To educate the peasantry, three things are needed: schools, schools and schools.

Education is a fundamental right that any society must guarantee.

58. Every lie is a poison; there are no harmless lies. Only the truth is certain. Only the truth gives me comfort: it is the only unbreakable diamond.

Society must promote the truth among its citizens, the truth will allow us to have a completely honest life.

59. To get rid of an enemy, one must love him.

When we love our enemies we can make them our friends. For love is the only force capable of turning an enemy into a friend.

60. If everyone fought for their own convictions, there would be no war.

Wars are often caused by people who get carried away by the ideas of others.

61. As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will always be battlefields.

Human beings often seek confrontation with each other. Will we ever get over this bad habit?

62. Anything is better than lies and deceit!

Lies do not bring anything positive to society; we must eradicate them and penalize those who encourage them.

63. Married life is a boat that carries two people across a stormy sea. If one of them makes any sudden movement, the boat sinks.

Life as a couple can be very complicated, it’s up to us to get it out there.

64. There is something in the human spirit that will survive and prevail, there is a small and brilliant light burning in the heart of man that will not be extinguished no matter how dark the world becomes.

Human beings are fully capable of doing very positive things, for ourselves and for all living beings, we must ensure that society encourages this way of acting.

65. I’m always with myself, and I’m my own torturer.

Our inner self is in charge of boycotting us all our lives, we must put aside our doubts and do what really pleases us.

66. The Kingdom of God is within you.

The greatest source of wisdom that human beings possess, capable of changing the world around us, is within ourselves.

67. Human science fragments everything to understand it, kills everything to examine it.

Science needs certain sacrifices to be able to understand what it studies, without a previous dissection we cannot know how the biology of an animal works, for example.

68. Every heart has its own skeleton.

We all go through complicated relationships whether we want to or not, they mark us forever.

69. How can one be well… when one is suffering morally?

Emotional pain is possibly the greatest pain a person can feel.

70. Everything intelligent is so boring…

Sometimes the stupidest actions are the most fun, we should all give ourselves a moment of personal enjoyment.

71. A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is, and whose denominator is what he thinks of himself. The greater the denominator, the smaller the fraction.

As people we must know how to appreciate and give ourselves the value that we should really have in society.

72. We are asleep until we fall in love!

Love is a circumstance that we all go through and changes our lives.

73. If there were no suffering, man would not know his limits, he would not know himself.

With suffering we learn where the limits of ourselves are, where we want to go and where we don’t want to go.

74. I’m like a hungry man who’s been given food. Maybe he’s cold, and his clothes are torn, and he’s embarrassed, but he’s not unhappy.

There are recognitions that do not deserve the work we have done to reach them, we must know what we want to do and what we deserve for it.

75. All we can know is that we know nothing. And that is the height of human wisdom.

In order to learn, we must first recognize our ignorance; if we know everything, we have nothing to learn.