Go - take the mother's soul, and learn three truths: Learn What dwells in man, What is not given to man, and What men live by. When thou hast learnt these things, thou shalt return to heaven.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker is tasked with understanding fundamental aspects of human nature before returning to the divine. These truths concern inner human qualities, human limitations, and the true source of human sustenance.
- In plain terms
- Learn what is inside people, what they cannot know, and what keeps them alive.
- What can you take from it?
- Understanding human nature requires looking beyond surface needs.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do you believe sustains human life?
- What truths about humanity are most important to you?
Another view
The quote assumes a specific theological framework that not all readers share.
More from Leo Tolstoy
One can insult an honest man or an honest woman, but to tell a thief that he is a thief is merely la constation d'un fait [The establishing of a fact.]
Permalink to quote #38 I thought: 'I am perishing of cold and hunger, and here is a man thinking only of how to clothe himself and his wife, and how to get bread for themselves. He c…
Permalink to quote #40 There is one evident, indubitable manifestation of the Divinity, and that is the laws of right which are made known to the world through Revelation.
Permalink to quote #37
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