13Mayмая · 13-е мая
Каждому человеку самому надо решить для себя вопросы о смысле жизни и смерти.
We must each settle for ourselves the questions of the meaning of life and death.
1. Мудрый человек требует всего только от себя; ничтожный же человек требует всего от других.
1. The wise man demands everything only of himself; the petty man demands everything of others.
From Analects · close to the original .
What Tolstoy read · G. Pauthier, Confucius et Mencius: Les quatre livres de philosophie morale et politique …20. Le Philosophe dit: L'homme supérieur ne demande rien qu'à lui-même; l'homme vulgaire et sans mérite demande tout aux autres.
Source text: gutenberg.orgIn English · James Legge, 1861The Master said, 'What the superior man seeks, is in himself. What the mean man seeks, is in others.'
Source text: gutenberg.orgTolstoy’s own version · Мысли мудрых людей на каждый деньМудрый человек требует всего только от себя, ничтожный же человек требует всего от других.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Analects (Lunyu), XV.20 (Legge XV.xx; Pauthier XV.20).
Pauthier's French, as in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903), 12 May, where Tolstoy names the Lun-yu; the Circle has a semicolon for the comma. Pauthier's 'l'homme supérieur' is «мудрый человек» (the wise man) and 'l'homme vulgaire et sans mérite' «ничтожный человек» (the worthless man); 'ne demande rien qu'à lui-même' (asks nothing except of himself) becomes «требует всего только от себя» (demands everything only of himself). The Chinese 君子求諸己，小人求諸人 says the junzi seeks in himself, the small man in others (Legge: 'What the superior man seeks, is in himself'); 'asks' and 'demands' are Pauthier's reading. The saying is Confucius's (子曰).
2. Душа не учится; она только вспоминает то, что она всегда знала.
2. The soul does not learn; it only remembers what it has always known.
Source not found yet .
Not found yet.
No source found for «Душа не учится; она только вспоминает то, что она всегда знала». The thought is Plato's doctrine that learning is recollection (Meno 81c-d, Phaedo 72e); no saying with this wording under this name was found. The Jubilee name index prints the name «Даудель Гаффир». The Jubilee name index lists the name with this page only and no identification. «Хаджи Абдул Гезди» (5-1.8) proved to be Burton's pseudonymous Hâjî Abdû el-Yezdî, so this name too may be a pen name or an invented "Eastern" signature in an English source; the calendars in the Jubilee source list (The Higher Thought Calendar, 1904; the Theosophical Publishing Society's Perpetual Calendar), which were not found online, are possible sources.
Searched: Thoughts of Wise Men (1903) and its source list (Jubilee vol. 40); the Jubilee vols. 41-42 (name index, attribution corrections, source list); Conway's Sacred Anthology; d'Herbelot, Bibliothèque orientale vol. I; Palmer's Oriental Mysticism; the Desatir (1888 reprint); Burton's Kasîdah; Southgate (both), Coit, Tileston; the saved issues of The World's Advance-Thought and The Coming Day; web searches for the name with the English of the saying.
Translation note. The name is given as Tolstoy wrote it, «Дауд ель Гаффир»; whom it names is uncertain.
3. Мудрый человек всегда находит себе помощь во всем, потому что дар его состоит в том, чтобы извлекать добро из всего.
3. The wise man always finds help for himself in everything, because his gift consists in drawing good out of everything.
From Modern Painters III · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedBeing helped “by everybody” becomes finding help “in everything,” and getting good “out of all things and all persons” becomes drawing it “out of everything”: the persons Ruskin names twice drop out.
John Ruskin’s own wordsWhat help Turner received from this or that companion of his youth is of no importance to any one now.
Of course every great man is always being helped by everybody, …
… for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons; …
Source text: gutenberg.orgFrondes Agrestes: Readings in 'Modern Painters'Every great man is always being helped by everybody, for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons.
Source text: gutenberg.orgTolstoy’s own version · Мысли мудрых людей на каждый деньМудрый человек всегда находит себе помощь во всех, потому что дар его состоит в том, чтобы извлекать добро из всех и из всего.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Modern Painters III (1856), Part IV, ch. XVIII 'Of the Teachers of Turner', § 32, on what help Turner had from the companions of his youth.
Ruskin's 'great man' becomes 'a wise man' (Мудрый человек), already in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903, 12 May). 'is always being helped by everybody' becomes 'always finds help in everything' (во всем); the 1903 version had 'in everyone' (во всех), Ruskin's sense. 'to get good out of all things and all persons' becomes 'to draw good out of everything' (из всего); 1903 had 'out of everyone and everything'. So the Circle drops the persons Ruskin names twice. The sentence also stands alone in Frondes Agrestes (§ 70), the selection from Modern Painters that Ruskin revised. The Jubilee commentary on Thoughts of Wise Men names the source of its Ruskin: L. P. Nikiforov's Russian selection (Posrednik, 1902), not found online, so 'wise man' may be Nikiforov's. No printable.
4. Политическая победа, увеличение дохода, выздоровление ваших больных, возвращение отсутствующих друзей или что-нибудь еще в том же роде благоприятное поднимает ваш дух, и вы думаете, что настанут для вас лучшие дни. Не верьте этому. Ничто не принесет вам мира, кроме вас самих.
4. A political victory, a rise in income, the recovery of your sick, the return of absent friends, or anything else favorable of the same kind raises your spirits, and you think that better days will come for you. Do not believe it. Nothing will bring you peace but yourself.
From Self-Reliance, in Essays, First Series · close to the original .
Emerson’s own wordsA political victory, a rise of rents, the recovery of your sick or the return of your absent friend, or some other favorable event raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing for you.
Do not believe it.
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
Source text: gutenberg.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Self-Reliance, in Essays, First Series (1841), The last paragraph of the essay, after 'So use all that is called Fortune'.
Close. Tolstoy leaves out the essay's last sentence, 'Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.' 'A rise of rents' becomes 'a rise in income' (увеличение дохода), 'the return of your absent friend' becomes 'the return of absent friends', and 'good days are preparing for you' becomes 'better days will come for you'. Thoughts of Wise Men (1903) has no version of it. The Jubilee list of the Circle's sources names a Russian Self-Reliance («О доверии к себе», Посредник, 1904), not consulted, and two English selections, Garnett's Passages from his writings (1902) and Broadbent's An Emerson Treasury (1903), not found on archive.org. Emerson's three sentences are printed here.
5. Тщетно будете вы искать во внешнем мире ответов на вопросы, касающиеся назначения жизни. Ответы на все ваши вопросы находятся внутри вас, но лишь в зародышах. Вы должны вырастить ваши ответы хорошей жизнью. Это единственный путь к мудрости.
5. In vain will you look in the outer world for answers to the questions concerning the purpose of life. The answers to all your questions lie within you, but only in germ. You must grow your answers by a good life. This is the only path to wisdom.
From The World's Advance-Thought and the Universal Republic · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedQuestions “as to the destiny of the soul” become questions “concerning the purpose of life,” “harmonious living” becomes “a good life,” and “external Nature” becomes “the outer world.”
Lucy Mallory’s own wordsIn vain will you look to external Nature for answers to your many questions as to the destiny of the soul.
The answers to all your questions exist within you, but oply in germinal form.
You must grow your answers by harmonious living. This is the only road to Wisdom.
Source text: iapsop.comDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. The World's Advance-Thought and the Universal Republic (Lucy A. Mallory's journal, Portland, Oregon), vol. XV, no. 1, March 1902, p. 4, 'Key Thoughts', headed with Lucy A. Mallory's name.
Reworded in three places. 'External Nature' becomes 'the outer world' (во внешнем мире); 'your many questions as to the destiny of the soul' becomes 'questions concerning the purpose of life' (касающиеся назначения жизни); 'harmonious living' becomes 'a good life' (хорошей жизнью). The rest is close: 'only in germinal form' is 'only in germs' (лишь в зародышах), and 'This is the only road to Wisdom' is kept. 'Oply' is the text layer's misreading of 'only'; archive.org's scan of vol. XV (saved) has the same paragraph. The next aphorism on the page has the chick in its shell, the image of 5-22.5. No printable.
6. Горе тому, кто ищет товарища, потому что верный товарищ — только он сам, ищущий же не может быть верным товарищем сам себе.
6. Woe to him who seeks a companion, for his only faithful companion is himself, and he who seeks cannot be a faithful companion to himself.
From Journal, June 1850, as printed in Summer, ed. H. G. O. Blake · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedAdds “for his only faithful companion is himself,” and “him who wants a companion,” who lacks one, becomes “him who seeks a companion.”
What Tolstoy read · Every Day with Thoreau, in The Coming DayWoe to him who wants a companion, for he is unfit to be the companion even of himself.
Source text: archive.orgThoreau’s own wordsWoe to him who wants a companion, for he is unfit to be the companion even of himself.
We inspire friendship in men when we have contracted friendship with the gods.
Source text: archive.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Journal, June 1850, as printed in Summer, ed. H. G. O. Blake (Boston, 1884), Summer (1884), p. 75, among the entries for June 9–14, 1850.
Changed and lengthened. Thoreau's 'him who wants a companion' (who lacks one) becomes 'him who seeks a companion' (кто ищет товарища). Tolstoy adds a clause of his own, 'for the faithful companion is only himself' (потому что верный товарищ — только он сам), and 'he is unfit to be the companion even of himself' becomes 'the one who seeks cannot be a faithful companion to himself', adding 'faithful' (верным). The Coming Day's calendar prints Thoreau's sentence unchanged under May 16; it is probably Tolstoy's route, as for May's other Thoreau (5-3.7, 5-27.3). No printable.
7. Истина заученная только прилипает к нам, как искусственный член, вставной зуб, восковой нос и самое большее — как нос из чужой кожи. Истина же, приобретенная собственным мышлением, подобна настоящему члену тела; только она одна действительно принадлежит нам.
7. Truth learned by rote only sticks to us like an artificial limb, a false tooth, a wax nose, and at most like a nose made from another’s skin. But truth gained by our own thinking is like a real limb of the body; it alone truly belongs to us.
From Parerga und Paralipomena II, ch. XXII · close to the original .
What Tolstoy read · Julius Frauenstädt, Arthur Schopenhauer: Lichtstrahlen aus seinen WerkenDie bloß erlernte Wahrheit klebt uns nur an, wie ein angeſetztes Glied, ein falſcher Zahn, eine wächſerne Naſe, oder höchſtens wie eine rhinoplaſtiſche aus fremdem Fleiſche.
Die durch eigenes Denken er= worbene Wahrheit aber gleicht dem natürlichen Gliede: ſie allein gehört uns wirklich an.
Source text: archive.orgOriginal · GermanDie bloß erlernte Wahrheit klebt uns nur an, wie ein a⸗ geſetztes Glied, ein falſcher Zahn, eine wächſerne Naſe, oder höchſtens wie eine rhinoplaſtiſche aus fremdem Fleiſche; die durch eigenes Denken erworbene aber gleicht dem natürlichen Gliede: fie allein gehört uns wirklich an.
Source text: archive.orgIn English · T. Bailey Saunders, 1891Truth that has been merely learned is like an artificial limb, a false tooth, a waxen nose; at best, like a nose made out of another's flesh; it adheres to us only because it is put on. But truth acquired by thinking of our own is like a natural limb; it alone really belongs to us.
Source text: gutenberg.orgTolstoy’s own version · На каждый деньИстина заученная — только прилипает к нам, как искусственный член, вставной зуб, восковой нос и самое большее — как нос ринопластический из чужой кожи.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Parerga und Paralipomena II, ch. XXII (Selbstdenken), as excerpted in Frauenstädt, Lichtstrahlen aus seinen Werken (1862 ed.; Tolstoy had the 1891 ed.), Parerga II, 2nd ed. (Frauenstädt, Berlin 1862), § 266, p. 529; Lichtstrahlen cites “P. II, 413”; Saunders, The Art of Literature, “On Thinking for Oneself”.
Schopenhauer's sentence, closely: truth merely learned only sticks to us like an attached limb, a false tooth, a wax nose, or at most like a rhinoplastic one of foreign flesh; truth won by one's own thinking is like a natural limb, and it alone really belongs to us. Tolstoy follows Lichtstrahlen, which splits the sentence in two and repeats “Wahrheit” in the second half (Die durch eigenes Denken erworbene Wahrheit aber), where the Parerga has only “die durch eigenes Denken erworbene aber”: hence «Истина же, приобретенная собственным мышлением». The Circle shortens “a rhinoplastic one of foreign flesh” (eine rhinoplastische aus fremdem Fleische) to «нос из чужой кожи» (a nose of another's skin); «На каждый день» (tolstoy block) keeps «ринопластический». Both leave out the sentence that follows, on which the difference between the thinker and the mere scholar rests.
Если на вопросы о жизни и смерти человек принимает ответы других, прежде живших, мудрых людей, то все-таки выбор и признание этих ответов зависит от него самого.
If, on the questions of life and death, we accept the answers of other wise people who lived before us, the choosing and acknowledging of those answers still depends on ourselves.
Tolstoy TodayТолстой сегодня · tolstoytoday.org/may/13