Art begins when a man, with a purpose of communicating to other people a feeling he once experienced, calls it up again within himself and expresses it by certain external signs.
Leo TolstoyRead
I don't want to prove anything; I merely want to live, to do no one harm but myself. I have the right to do that, haven't I?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the idea of personal autonomy and the desire to lead a life that does not negatively impact others.
In this quote, Leo Tolstoy reflects on the importance of personal freedom and the right to live life according to one's own values, without the obligation to prove oneself to others. He suggests that the only person one should be accountable to is oneself, emphasizing that while self-harm is regrettable, the individual has the right to choose their own path, even if it might not align with societal expectations.
Themes
AutonomySelfFreedomLife ChoicesPersonal Rights
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal freedoms at a philosophy club.
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People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing-refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.
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It's too easy to criticize a man when he's out of favour, and to make him shoulder the blame for everybody else's mistakes.
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Music is the shorthand of emotion. Emotions, which let themselves be described in words with such difficulty, are directly conveyed to man in music, and in that is its power and significance.
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A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.
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