You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
First part was somewhat over my head. During the second half of the book he has some good insight into the discovery of faith.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This feels so much like Surprised by Joy by CS Lewis. However, Lewis came to the definitive answer of Christianity while Tolstoy ends on a less decided note.
He says there is much truth in Theism, and Christianity in particular, but that the Orthodox Church he grew up in also has much falsehood that he can't reconcile.
I wonder if he ever published anything later in his life where he'd reached some definite conclusions.
He says there is much truth in Theism, and Christianity in particular, but that the Orthodox Church he grew up in also has much falsehood that he can't reconcile.
I wonder if he ever published anything later in his life where he'd reached some definite conclusions.
"And the less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine."
~Indigo Girls
I feel as though I could write an entire paper on my takeaway from this 90+ page spiritual crisis of Tolstoy's.
That being said, I'm just going to sum it up by saying had he been born about a century and a half later, Emily Saliers would have solved the problem for him.
3 stars.
~Indigo Girls
I feel as though I could write an entire paper on my takeaway from this 90+ page spiritual crisis of Tolstoy's.
That being said, I'm just going to sum it up by saying had he been born about a century and a half later, Emily Saliers would have solved the problem for him.
3 stars.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
“Faith is the knowledge of the meaning of human life, whereby the individual does not destroy himself but lives. Faith is the force of life. If a man lives, then he must have faith in something. If he did not believe that he had something he must live for, then he would not live. If he fails to see and understand the illusory nature of the finite, then he believes in the finite; if he understands the illusory nature of the finite, then he must believe in the infinite. Without faith it is impossible to live.”
Despite the success of his greatest works, Tolstoy was gripped by thoughts of suicide, grappling with the meaninglessness of life in the absence of faith. Tolstoy unravels his relationship to reason, tradition, purpose, and the religious institutions that purport to uphold faith, eventually rooting himself in a faith that transcends religious dogma. Witty, honest, and intimate - a comfort for anyone currently navigating, or familiar with, crises of faith, meaning, and purpose.
Despite the success of his greatest works, Tolstoy was gripped by thoughts of suicide, grappling with the meaninglessness of life in the absence of faith. Tolstoy unravels his relationship to reason, tradition, purpose, and the religious institutions that purport to uphold faith, eventually rooting himself in a faith that transcends religious dogma. Witty, honest, and intimate - a comfort for anyone currently navigating, or familiar with, crises of faith, meaning, and purpose.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
i too grew up catholic and renounced my religion, however i stayed trued to that decision ever since. this bum had an identity crisis his whole life over religion like ugh pick a side already!!!
but seriously, this was good and i liked it a lot.
i will be rereading again and again.
but i cant say i love it because a lot of the writing confused me and i had to take my sweet time understanding some paragraphs, rereading them 3-4 times before grasping anything.
“At this time I began to write, out of vanity, greed, and pride. In my writing I did the same as in life. To have the fame and the money for which I was writing I had to conceal the good and display the bad. So I did. How many times under the pretense of indifference and even of slight mockery did I contrive to conceal my aspirations to good, which constituted the meaning of my life? And I achieved my aim: I was praised.”
he’s an attention whore just like me!!
i want to quote more but im too lazy to type. read it
but seriously, this was good and i liked it a lot.
i will be rereading again and again.
but i cant say i love it because a lot of the writing confused me and i had to take my sweet time understanding some paragraphs, rereading them 3-4 times before grasping anything.
“At this time I began to write, out of vanity, greed, and pride. In my writing I did the same as in life. To have the fame and the money for which I was writing I had to conceal the good and display the bad. So I did. How many times under the pretense of indifference and even of slight mockery did I contrive to conceal my aspirations to good, which constituted the meaning of my life? And I achieved my aim: I was praised.”
he’s an attention whore just like me!!
i want to quote more but im too lazy to type. read it
reflective
slow-paced