Art Quote by Leo Tolstoy
““We talked of a future life, of art, service, marriage, and education; nor did the idea ever occur to us that very possibly all we said was shocking nonsense. The reason why it never occurred to us was that the nonsense which we talked was good, sensible nonsense, and that, so long as one is young, one can appreciate good nonsense, and believe in it. In youth the powers of the mind are directed wholly to the future, and that future assumes such various, vivid, and alluring forms under the influence of hope — hope based, not upon the experience of the past, but upon an assumed possibility of happiness to come — that such dreams of expected felicity constitute in themselves the true happiness of that period of our life.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, 1877
Youthful hope fuels imaginative dreams that become its own happiness, despite seeming nonsense.
In simple terms: Hopeful dreams bring joy.
Key Takeaway
Cherish hopeful imagination.
Themes
youth
hope
dreams
meaning
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- college planning
- career aspirations
- creative writing
- personal visioning
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
optimism
Questions to Reflect On
- What hopeful visions guide you?
- How can you balance optimism with practicality?
A Different Perspective
Idealism may clash with reality later.
