I felt a wish never to leave that room - a wish that dawn might never come, that my present frame of mind might never change.
Leo TolstoyMan's mind cannot grasp the causes of events in their completeness, but the desire to find the causes is implanted in man's soul.
Leo TolstoySeas of blood have been shed for the sake of patriotism. One would expect the harm and irrationality of patriotism to be self-evident to everyone. But the surprising fact is that cultured and learned people not only do not notice the harm and stupidity of patriotism, they resist every unveiling of it with the greatest obstinacy and passion (with no rational grounds), and continue to praise it as beneficent and elevating.
Leo Tolstoy