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
For if we allow that human life is always guided by reason, we destroy the premise that life is possible at all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that if reason alone dictates human life, it undermines the very essence of existence.
Tolstoy argues that to believe human life can be entirely governed by reason is to reject the complexities and emotions that make life meaningful. He points out that human experiences are often irrational and emotional, which are essential to the human condition. Hence, reducing life to mere rationality would paradoxically make life itself untenable.
Themes
ReasonLifeHuman ExperienceEmotionsExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical debate on the nature of human existence, one might use this quote to highlight the limitations of rationality.
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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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