#26: Wisdom Quotes
Below are quotes that resonate, from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘A Calendar Of Wisdom’.
[1]
To drug or poison yourself, no matter how you d it, is not of itself a crime, but it can be preparing yourself to commit crimes of every sort. – Tolstoy
[2]
You say that it is not important whether you drink or not, or whether you smoke or not. If it’s not important then what would it cost you to stop drinking or smoking, when you know the harm that your example can cause to both yourself and to others? – Tolstoy
[3]
The closer people are to the truth, the more tolerant they become to other people’s mistakes. And vice versa. – Tolstoy
[4]
Anyone who wishes to promote their faith by violent means or the use of external force, or who would like to see it spread abroad as soon as possible, has either very little faith, or no faith at all. – Tolstoy
[5]
The following words were inscribed on the bath of King Ching-Chang: ‘Renew yourself totally every day; do this again, and again, and, once more, again.’ – Chinese wisdom
[6]
The virtues of sages is like a journey to a distant country or climbing a high mountain: those going on a distant journey start with the very first steps; those climbing a mountain start from its foot. – Confucius
[7]
The Russian word for ‘to punish’ (nakazyvat) can also mean ‘to instruct’ or ‘to teach’. It is only possible to teach someone through example. The idea of retribution, of returning evil fro evil, subverts and depraves, rather than teaches. – Tolstoy
[8]
If it seems to you that someone is guilty of wronging you, forget about it and forgive that person. And if you have never tried this before, you will learn that forgiveness brings with it a new sense of joy. – Tolstoy
[9]
A simple, ignorant and depraved person is better than an educated dissolute one – the former has strayed from the straight and narrow because of blindness, whereas the latter has fallen into the well, although in full possession of his sight. – Saagi, Gulistan
[10]
If death appears to be something terrible then the cause is to be found in us rather than in death. The more righteous someone is, the less he will fear death. For the holy man, there is no death. – Tolstoy