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
He felt all the torment of his and her position, all the difficulties they were surrounded by in consequence of their station in life, which exposed them to the eyes of the whole world, obliged them to hide their love, to lie and deceive, and again to lie and deceive, to scheme and constantly think about others while the passion that bound them was so strong that they both forgot everything but their love.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggles faced by lovers constrained by societal expectations and norms.
In this quote, Tolstoy highlights the intense emotional turmoil experienced by a couple whose love is deeply felt yet impeded by the constraints of their social class. The pressures of societal scrutiny force them to conceal their feelings, leading to a cycle of deceit and pretense, which underscores the conflict between their deep passion and the societal norms that govern their lives.
Themes
LoveSocietyDeceptionPassionStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the impact of societal norms on personal relationships.
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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.
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