Leo Tolstoy in Search of the Meaning of Life

Notes on giants - Number 5

Dec 24, 2024

🏷️ Categories: Continuous improvement, Life lessons.

In the last years of his life, Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace and Anna Karénina, embarked on the writing of a very particular and little known work.

Calendar of Wisdom.

First published in 1904, it is a compilation of reflections that are the culmination of nearly two decades of research, reading and meditation. Calendar of Wisdom is Tolstoy's attempt to share the highest ideas humanity has produced in a way that is accessible to everyone.

“I have to create a reading circle for myself: Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tse, Buddha, Pascal, the New Testament. This is also necessary for all people.”

So wrote Tolstoy in his diary on March 15, 1884.

This idea of bringing together wisdom led him to collect thoughts of philosophers, writers, scholars of all kinds and sacred texts, integrating them with his own reflections on morality, the purpose of life and virtue. Most particular is its style, as it is a calendar in which each day contains quotes from authors such as Socrates, Schopenhauer or Rousseau along with the reflections that Tolstoy had that day of the year.

Small drops of wisdom for the day to day that inspire and guide whoever reads it.

Let's discover some of the best days of this calendar.

Reflections on wisdom

As soon as the year begins, we are warned about the crucial difference between knowing and understanding: “Knowledge is true only when it is acquired by the efforts of your intellect, not by memory.” (January 9)

This is Tolstoy's criticism of the education of his time. According to him, education was saturated with unnecessary knowledge, neglecting the essential: how to live a good and virtuous life in society. That idea resurfaces many days of the calendar.

January 1: “The difference between a material poison and an intellectual poison is that most material poisons are repugnant to taste, but intellectual poison, which takes the form of cheap newspapers or bad books, can be very attractive.” — Tolstoy
February 15: “When someone speaks in an elaborate and sophisticated way, he either wants to tell a lie or he wants to admire himself. Such people are not to be believed. Good speech is always clear, intelligent and understandable."— Jean D'Alembert
April 1: “The title ‘scholar’ suggests that someone has gone to academia and that he has studied, but it does not mean that he has acquired any important knowledge.” — George Lichtenberg
May 3: “Intelligent people study to know more. Unworthy people study to become better known.” — Eastern proverb
July 9: “We live in the age of philosophy, science and intellect. There are huge libraries open to all. Everywhere we have schools, colleges and universities that provide us with the wisdom of people from many millennia before. So what happens then? Have we become wiser because of all this? Do we understand our life or the meaning of our existence better? Do we know what is good for our life?” — Jean Jacques Rousseau
Nov. 14: “Even more harmful is to engage in meaningless intellectual pursuits. Many people do this when they want to improve their position.” — Tolstoy

Are universities and schools simply factories of workers or the home of knowledge?
Why hasn't the abundance of libraries and universities necessarily led to a wiser or more ethical society?
Is learning an end or is it just the means to achieve something else?

There are many questions that arise...

Serve humanity and be the best version of yourself

To have a fulfilling life, don't just look at yourself, look at your society.

Tolstoy thought that the virtuous life is not an individual goal, but a collective one. Each person has the potential to be an inspiring example capable of changing the rest of society. If you want to change the world, start by changing yourself, and if you want to be happy, make those around you happy too.

January 24: “The important thing is not the place we occupy, but the direction in which we move.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
March 17: “If you see that some aspect of your society is bad and you want to improve it, there is only one way to do it: you must improve the people. And to improve the people, start by improving yourself.” — Tolstoy
April 14: “In this world we come to strange conclusions: we say we live in society but we live lonely lives.” — Thomas Carlyle
April 20: “We only live for ourselves when we live for others. It may seem strange, but try it and you will see from your own experience.” — Tolstoy
August 3: “The worst punishment is to realize that you did not use correctly the good things you were given. Don't expect a great punishment. There can be no harsher punishment than this remorse.” — Tolstoy
December 9: “Our purpose is to serve all mankind, not to serve only one person while harming others.” — Tolstoy

Is it possible to be happy in a society that lives in conflict?
Is it possible to change the lives of others without falling into excessive sacrifice?
What is the legacy I want to leave to the world the day I am gone?

We should not feel small, because in our actions lies the potential to inspire others to be better people, and thereby make the world a better place.

In defense of the simple life

The most valuable thing will not be your heritage, but the legacy you will leave with your attitude.

February 7: “There is nothing more detrimental to you than improving only your material side.” — Tolstoy
April 24: “Every great thing is done quietly, humbly and simply: plowing the land, building houses, raising livestock, even thinking.... Great and true things are always simple and humble.” — Tolstoy
December 7: “Everything in this world blooms, grows and returns to its roots. To return to the roots means to unite with nature.” — Lao-Tzu
December 13: “We can never fully understand the ultimate purpose of human life. A construction worker working on a building site may have no idea of the final form or general design of the great structure he builds, but he may know that he is working on something good, beautiful, intelligent and necessary, both for himself and for the world.” — Tolstoy
December 25: “The help that the rich give to the poor is too often a mere gesture of courtesy and not true charity.” — Tolstoy

How can we cultivate a simple life in a society that equates success with the accumulation of material goods (conspicuous consumption)?
In a world where concrete and asphalt devour everything, how can we reconnect with nature if we depend on the city for almost everything?
Where do we draw the line on material wealth if we always want more?

In the end, success will not be dying with a fortune, success in life will be your children coming to see you and remembering you when you are older.

“Never postpone a good deed that you can do now, because death does not choose whether or not you have done the things you should have done.”

With that sentence I end.

My impression

Calendar of Wisdom is a philosophical map with which Tolstoy aspires to guide people and society through universal wisdom from the best minds of humanity. It has the power to enlighten you. As he said, “I hope that readers of this book will feel the same benevolent and uplifting feeling that I experienced in working on its creation, and that I continue to experience every time I reread it.”

Today, more than a century later, this work reminds us that wisdom and happiness lie in modesty, generosity and respect for all forms of life.

You left an impressive legacy, Tolstoy.

✍️ Your turn: I encourage you to read every day of this 2025 Wisdom Calendar and reflect on the inspiration it gives you each day.
💭 Quote of the day: “Kindness is necessary in relationships with people. If you are not kind to a person, you are not fulfilling your primary obligation.” Tolstoy, Calendar of Wisdom.

See you soon, take care and have fun! 👋

References 📚

Tolstoy, L. Calendar of wisdom.