Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

“ Yes, dear young men, sincerely, independently, not influenced by external suggestions, but independently and sincerely awakened to the consciousness of the importance of your life, yes, don’t believe the people who tell you that your motivations are only unreachable dreams of youth, that they also dreamed and strove for, but the life soon showed them that it has its own demands and that we should not fantasize about what our life could be, and instead try our best to align our actions with the life of the existing society and try only to be a useful member of this society. ”

“ Do not believe this, but trust only yourself, and don’t be afraid to disagree with the views and thoughts of people surrounding you, – if only your answers disagreeing with them are not based on your personal desires but on the desire to fulfill the requirement of that life, fulfill the will of that force which sent you in this life. Believe yourself, especially when the answers coming to you are confirmed by those eternal creation of human wisdom, which is expressed in all religious teachings and the closest to you – the teaching of Christ in its highest spiritual meaning. ”

“ Trust yourself and live to put all your strengths into one purpose: to manifest God in yourself, – and you’ll achieve everything you can do and for their own benefit and for the benefit of the whole world. ”

“ And what other, more joyful for myself and more useful to people my life could become, if I had trusted the voice of the truth, God, for the first time spoken in me, not yet subjected to temptations of my soul, if I would believe that voice and gave in to it? ”

“ Then believe not in yourself, or famous personality: Ivan, Pete, Lisa, Masha, son, daughter of a King, minister or worker, merchant or farmer, but that eternal, reasoning and virtuous beginning that lives in each of us and which for the first time woke up in you and asked you these the most critical in the world questions and looks for and requires their resolution. ”

“ Trust yourself even when those answers which will come to you will disagree with those instilled in you from childhood, will disagree with the life you live together with others surrounding you. Don’t be afraid of the disagreement ”

“ I remember when I was 15 years old, outliving that time when suddenly I awoke from child obedience to views of others, in which he lived before, and for the first time realized that I need to live by yourself, to choose my own path, take responsibility for my own live before that Source which gave me it. ”

“ Then don’t believe people who with an indulgent smile will tell you that they once searched for the answers to these questions, but did not find, because one cannot find solutions other than those accepted by all. ”