Progress consists, not in the increase of truth, but in freeing it from its wrappings. The truth is obtained like gold, not by letting it grow bigger, but by washing off from it everything that isn’t gold.
— Leo Tolstoy’s Diaries (1985) edited and translated by R. F. Christian. London: Athlone Press, Vol 2, p. 512.
If you’re going to quote Tolstoy, I may start spouting John Donne – fair warning
(he has one about dividers, you know…)
Then I’ll have to whip out the Gogol. And then… wait for it… the Turgenyev quotes on nihilism.
See, now you’re just begging for obscure references to craft in the 1500s.
And then I’ll have to snack (I meant smack, but it’s too funny to correct) you upside your head with some Bayeux tapestry adze references from 1066.
Snack you upside your head?
Et fuga verturent Angli
And then she whips out the Esperanto. Just like a woman.
Et hic defunctus est
Either too much Lagunitas or too smart for me… Not sure. I like the pretty pictures though…
Love the Tolstoy quote. One of my favorite Tolstoy stories is “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” The sentiment of the story can be related to some of the themes in the Anarchist’s Toolchest. How many tools does a man need?
Tolstoy was the first Anarchist I ever encountered. His ideas were based in peace, industry and religion – and anti-violence. For further reading, check out Tolstoy’s “On Anarchy” in Pamphlets.
Whoa! You look good for your age.
All gold is fool’s gold.
- Edward Abbey
‘Too many people work on parts of things. Doing something to completion satisfies me.’ Richard Proenneke.
Maybe not as eloquent as Tolstoy but he was as much an anarchist as anybody.
“Alone in the Wilderness” One of my all-time favorite movies. Lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. My arms ache just thinking about him rip sawing the window frames
And to quote the late, great Colonel Sanders, “I’m too drunk to taste this chicken”.
So you’ve lowered the comment requirements to accommodate we half-wits, and hit us with Tolstoy? A combination worthy of Muhammed Ali.
Having been practically raised in the Church (though rare to find me in one now), I always found the stories of Jesus to be my introduction to anarchism (realizing one can argue the existence of anarchism within the constraints of religion). These stories lead to an interest in Tolstoy, Thoreau and one of my favorite anarchist heroes Han Solo.
I don’t get any of this…maybe I’m too intelligent.
Truth often needs wrappings to be edible. It’s proper digestion that removes the wrapping.
If Tolstoy knew that, he might have lived longer.
Who you calling a half-wit?
huh ?
When did this change from intelligent to half witty discourse? Chris you’re messing with our heads!
In a country founded by anarchists we need old world messages from obscure literary reference for $1000 Alex?
And yet the truth is much more valuable than gold as a price cannot be put on it. But it is much more difficult to uncover as you often cannot identify the layers of dirt it has wrapped around it….
)))