Leo Tolstoy Print

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." - Leo Tolstoy Not to be outdone by his novels, Tolstoy led an epic life. To the manor born, young Leo did poorly in school and had more interest in gambling and romancing. That all changed when he enlisted and fought in the Crimean War. The experience converted him from a libertine dissolute into a non-violent reformer and spiritual anarchist. He spent the rest of his life writing on social issues and thinking about how to help build a kinder, gentler society. He was an anachronistic thinker: an aristocrat who opposed serfdom and property rights, a devout Christian who drew profound inspiration from Indian sacred text, and a proto-communist who was deeply skeptical of government in any form. He also inspired Mahatma Gandhi to pursue peaceful resistance in India. He founded the first institute of democratic education, happily worked alongside peasants in the fields, practiced moral vegetarianism, and (oh