Tolstoy in Search of Truth and Meaning: Wisdom from His Letters, Novels, Essays and Conversations

In the late 1880s, Leo Tolstoy began compiling material for a collection of quotations that he deemed to reflect the wisdom of the centuries. His goal was to create a circle of reading for himself and others that included such thought leaders as Lau Tzu, Marcus Aurelius, Buddha, Jesus, and many others. Between 1904 and 1910 he published three different versions of this work under the titles Thoughts of Wise Men, A Calendar of Wisdom, and The Way of Life. A 1912 edition of A Calendar of Wisdom was translated into English and published in 1997 and has sold over 40,000 copies to date. But Tolstoy himself was a wise man, and has shared much knowledge through his many writings over the years. In this book, editor Bob Blaisdell has collected material that represents Tolstoy's inspirational thoughts over the years that reveal a man who at times contradicts himself, and one who was also tirelessly seeking truth and the meaning of life. Topics range from self-improvement, education, marriage and family, good and evil, peace, war, and civil disobedience, with quotations from diaries, letters, fiction, essays, and conversations. This original collection reflects on a man of a certain time and place, and yet contains wisdom and food for thought for literature lovers and lay people alike.