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
We should show life neither as it is or as it ought to be, but only as we see it in our dreams.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that life should be viewed through the lens of our dreams rather than its harsh realities or idealistic visions.
Leo Tolstoy's quote emphasizes the importance of personal perception in shaping our understanding of life. It encourages us to look beyond the current state of reality and societal expectations, advocating for a subjective interpretation that embraces the essence of our dreams and aspirations. Instead of being constrained by what is or what should be, we should find meaning and inspiration in how we envision life through our unique perspectives.
Themes
DreamsPerceptionLifePhilosophyAspiration
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing personal dreams.
More from Leo Tolstoy
All quotes βPierre looked into the sky, into the depths of the retreating, twinkling stars. "And all this is mine, and all this is in me, and all this is me!" thought Pierre. "And all this they've caught and put in a shed and boarded it up!
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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 β such is my idea of happiness.
Leo TolstoyRead
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