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
They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us--there is no life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is intrinsically linked to love, and without it, life lacks meaning.
In this quote, Tolstoy emphasizes the profound connection between love and happiness, suggesting that those who fail to understand this connection miss the essence of life itself. He explains that love is fundamental to our experience of happiness, and without it, concepts like happiness and unhappiness become irrelevant, highlighting the importance of love in leading a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Themes
HappinessLoveLifeMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a wedding speech emphasizing the importance of love.
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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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