Everyday Canvas

On a Quote

Prompt: " There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness and truth." Leo Tolstoy
Write about this quote in your Blog entry today.

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No offense to Tolstoy, but who really knows what true greatness is! Truth is, I do like Tolstoy's novels a lot, since they were favorites of mine, after Dostoyevski's work, during my adoration of the Russian literature period when I was quite young. Looking at this quote and Tolstoy's other writings, I now wonder what he has said had anything to do with, probably, his denial or dislike of his own aristocratic background.

Getting back to the quote, simplicity, goodness and truth are certainly fine attributes as they suggest, honesty, clarity, commitment to reality, and being true and kind to oneself and others. Still, where goodness is concerned, I bet everyone has a personal definition of it in their minds that may differ from other people's definition of it. Just think of the expression of "Oh, My Goodness!" and how its meaning varies from person to person and from situation to situation.

Then, for me, of those greatness elements of Tolstoy's, simplicity is the most doable. The others do not fall far behind either, but in my opinion, the better values we embody usually start with or have something to do with simplicity, for simplicity encourages a humble, ethical, and authentic approach to life. It may also be a sign of the vision of a kind of greatness that transcends fake, temporary, or superficial achievements. This is, as long as the word simplicity doesn't suggest being brainless and empty, as some may believe.