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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Leo Tolstoy
Started reading
February 25, 2023
We know our life as it exists only here, in this world; therefore, if our life is to have any meaning, it should be here in this world. Do not wish for death just because your life is hard. All the burdens on your shoulders will help you fulfill your destiny. The only way to get rid of your burdens is to live your life in such a way that you fulfill your destiny.
Seek the truth: it always shows us what we should do, what we should not do, and what we should stop doing.
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There is not a single believer who from time to time has not had some hesitations about the existence of God. But these moments of hesitation are not harmful. On the contrary, they lead us to a better understanding of God. Seeking God with your soul is a process that has limitless sides and aspects.
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Moses said to God, “Where can I find you?” God said, “If you are looking for me, you have already found me.” They asked a wise man, “How do you know that God exists?” He replied, “Is it necessary to have a torch in order to see the sun?” We do not have enough words to explain what God is, but we know without words that He exists.
It is a big mistake to think that faith is immutable, that it does not change over generations. The longer mankind exists y its faith becomes simpler and stronger. And the simpler and stronger our faith becomes, the better we live. If you believe that faith is the same for all times and that it cannot be changed, you might just as well believe that those fairy tales and proverbs and children’s stories which your grandmother told you when you were a small baby are real, and that you ought to believe in them all your life.
*
You can view your own drawbacks only through the eyes of other people.
When you are in company, do not forget what you have found out when you were thinking in solitude; and when you are meditating in solitude, think about what you found out by communicating with other people.
Nothing can make a person’s soul softer than the understanding of his own blame, and nothing can make one harder than the desire always to be right.
Science can be divided into an infinite number of disciplines, and the amount of knowledge that can be pursued in each discipline is limitless. The most critical piece of knowledge, then, is the knowledge of what is essential to learn and what isn’t.
Be attentive to what you do; never consider anything unworthy of your attention. —CONFUCIUS
All that I know about God brings me to the following conclusion: all that He did for us were the best things possible.
You should live your life so that you are not afraid of death, and at the same time do not wish to die.
*
You will find that people unwilling to work will either take advantage of others or be humiliated by them.
**
The longer I live, the more things I must complete.
Be attentive to the appearance of evil. There is an inner voice in your soul which always tells you about approaching evil You feel unpleasant, you feel ashamed. Believe in this voice; stop and seek to improve yourself, and then you will defeat evil.
God exists only for those who look for Him. Start looking: you will find Him in you and yourself in Him.
Great thoughts come directly from the heart.
If you have an income without working hard, then someone worked hard without receiving an income. —MAIMONIDES
A saint lives with his inner life; he denies outer life.
Without the clear understanding of the meaning of one’s life, without faith, a person can at any minute deny good and start worshiping evil.
The essence of all religious teachings is love.
The truth should often overcome thousands of obstacles, until it is accepted.
A man who does not understand the benefit of suffering does not live a clever and true life. Mankind has never achieved greatness but through suffering.
A person who lives a spiritual life cannot help but see that suffering brings him closer to God. Seen in this light, suffering loses its bitter side and becomes bliss.
For a person who leads a spiritual life, self-sacrifice brings a bliss that far transcends the pleasure of a person who lives by the self-indulgent satisfaction of his animal passions. He who is kind does good for other people. And if a person suffers while he does kind deeds, he becomes an even better person.
The dark spot in the sunlight that falls on us is the shadow created by our own personalities. We live for ourselves only when we live for others. It may seem strange, but try it, and you will see it from your own experience.
The greatest knowledge is self-knowledge. He who understands himself will understand God.
And like I keep saying, I know myself, therefore I know all people.
Whatever happens, do not lose faith. Nothing bad can happen to you as a human being.
If a person does not believe himself capable of doing the best things in the world, then he starts to create the worst things.
Cc: Eren Yeager
I know that the sky knows everything, and that its laws are constant. I know that it sees everything, it gets into everything, and it is present in everything. The heavens can get into the depths of all human hearts in the same way that the daylight can lighten a dark room. We should try to reflect this heavenly light. —CHINESE WISDOM
Try to understand and remember that a person always tries to do what is best for himself. And if he is right when he does the best thing for himself, it is good; but if he is mistaken, it is bad, because suffering will follow after such mistakes. If you remember this, then you will never be upset by anybody, you will never reproach anybody, and you will never be an enemy to anybody. —After EPICTETUS
Illnesses almost always destroy one’s physical power, and they release the power of one’s soul. For a person who concentrates his consciousness in the spiritual domain, illnesses do not diminish his goodness, but on the contrary, they increase it.
The real purpose of our existence is to understand this limitless life existing in this world. A person may not know the purpose of his life, but he should know how to live.
