3 replies

  1. Are you sure Tolstoy said that?

    “In 1884, Tolstoy wrote a book called What I Believe, in which he openly confessed his Christian beliefs. He affirmed his belief in Jesus Christ’s teachings and was particularly influenced by the Sermon on the Mount, and the injunction to turn the other cheek, which he understood as a “commandment of non-resistance to evil by force” and a doctrine of pacifism and nonviolence. In his work The Kingdom of God Is Within You, he explains that he considered mistaken the Church’s doctrine because they had made a “perversion” of Christ’s teachings. Tolstoy also received letters from American Quakers who introduced him to the non-violence writings of Quaker Christians such as George Fox, William Penn and Jonathan Dymond. Tolstoy believed being a Christian required him to be a pacifist; the consequences of being a pacifist, and the apparently inevitable waging of war by government, are the reason why he is considered a philosophical anarchist.

    Later, various versions of “Tolstoy’s Bible” would be published, indicating the passages Tolstoy most relied on, specifically, the reported words of Jesus himself.[44]

    Mohandas K. Gandhi and other residents of Tolstoy Farm, South Africa, 1910
    Tolstoy believed that a true Christian could find lasting happiness by striving for inner self-perfection through following the Great Commandment of loving one’s neighbor and God rather than looking outward to the Church or state for guidance. His belief in nonresistance when faced by conflict is another distinct attribute of his philosophy based on Christ’s teachings.”

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy

    Maybe he did, but you need to find a reliable reference.

    Based on above, seems unlikely.

  2. Are you sure Tolstoy wrote or said that?

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