Leo Tolstoy hardly needs an introduction. His persona is reflected in each character of his voluminous novels, be it, the politically charged War and Peace or the family drama of ‘Anna Karenina’. While reading Tolstoy’s books, something new is revealed in every passage, even the familiar events acquire a larger than life character. Some of the quotes I can recollect are:

1. All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

2. There are people who when they meet a rival,no matter in what, at once shut their eyes to everything good in him and see only the bad. There are others who on the contrary try to discern in a lucky rival the qualities which have enabled him to succeed, and with aching hearts seek only the good in him.

3. The first explosion of jealousy ,once past,could not be repeated.

4. One of us is stupid, and you know its impossible to say so of oneself.

5. No one is satisfied with his position, but everyone is satisfied with his wit.

6. Often the happiness of marriages founded on reason crumbles to dust because the very passion that was disregarded makes itself felt later.

7. If it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.

8. By digging into our souls, we often dig up what might better have remained there unnoticed.

9. Nightingales are not fed on fables.

10. You can’t imagine what a pleasure this complete laziness is to me: not a thought in my brain – you might send a ball rolling through it.

11. Love them that hate you, but you can’t love them whom you hate.

12. The church became so quiet that the drops of wax were heard falling from the candles.