The quotations of

Leo Tolstoy

Russian author

1828–1910

31 quotes, most often on Love, God and Morality.

Until you do what you believe in, how do you know whether you believe in it or not?
- Faith
Nietzsche was stupid and abnormal.
Government is violence, Christianity is meekness, non-resistance, love. And, therefore, government cannot be Christian, and a man who wishes to be a Christian must not serve government.
Letter to Dr. Eugen Heinrich Schmitt (October 12, 1896), translated by Nathan Haskell Dole
- Christianity
- Government
A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
Writings on Civil Disobedience and Nonviolence (1886)
Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly. It is the one thing we are interested in here.
War and Peace (1865–1867; 1869), Book IV, Ch. 11
- Happiness
- Love
If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.
Path of Life (1909), p. 89
- Envy
- Money
The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.
War and Peace (1865–1867; 1869), Bk. X, ch. 16
- Time
To love life is to love God. Harder and more blessed than all else is to love this life in one’s sufferings, in undeserved sufferings.
War and Peace (1865–1867; 1869), Bk. XIV, ch. 15
All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do.
The Law of Love and the Law of Violence (1908)
- Power
- War & Peace
It is often better for a person to recognize a sin than to do a good deed. Recognizing a sin makes a person humble. Doing a good deed often can feed a person’s pride.
Path of Life (1909), p. 108
- Morality
- Pride
The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God; and this can be done only by means of the acknowledgment and profession of the truth by each one of us.
The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894), Chapter XII, Conclusion—Repent Ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand
- God
- Life & Death
Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.
What is Art? (1897), Ch. 8
- Art
The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people.
What Is To Be Done? (1886) Chap. XL, as translated in The Novels and Other Works of Lyof N. Tolstoï (1902) edited by Nathan Haskell Dole, p. 281
- Charity
To be good and lead a good life means to give to others more than one takes from them.
The First Step (1892), Ch. VII
- Charity
- Virtue
The Churches as Churches have always been and cannot fail to be institutions not only alien to, but directly hostile towards, Christ’s teaching.
The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894), Chapter III, Christianity Misunderstood by Believers
- Anti-Religion
- Christianity

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