--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it…" description: "\"“How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to think that her son - the little son, whose tiny limbs had faintly stirred within her twenty ye..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg" --- # How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to… ![“How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to think that her son - the little son, whose tiny limbs had faintly stirred within her twenty years ago, for whose sake she had so often quarreled with the count, who would spoil him, the little son, who had first learnt to say grusha, and then…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg) > ““How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to think that her son - the little son, whose tiny limbs had faintly stirred within her twenty years ago, for whose sake she had so often quarreled with the count, who would spoil him, the little son, who had first learnt to say grusha, and then had learnt to say baba - that that son was now in a foreign land, in strange surroundings, a manly warrior, alone without help or guidance, doing there his proper manly work. All the world-wide experience of ages, proving that children do imperceptibly from the cradle grow up into men, did not exist for the countess. The growth of her son had been for her at every strage of his growth just as extraordinary as though millions of millions of men had not grown up in the same way. Just as, twenty years before, she could not believe that the little creature that was lying somewhere under her heart, would one day cry and learn to talk, now she could not believe that the same little creature could be that strong, brave man, that paragon of sons and of men that, judging by this letter, he was now.”” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother marvels at her son’s transformation from infant to independent warrior, feeling awe at the unseen, gradual growth that shapes a life. **In simple terms:** A mother is amazed by her son’s growth into a brave adult. Key Takeaway Recognize and cherish each stage of personal development. Themes family growth miracle war identity Mood wonder awe reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - military service - personal milestones - life transitions Key Concepts developmental psychology human resilience maternal love Questions to Reflect On - How do we honor the unseen struggles behind growth? - What role does love play in perceiving transformation? A Different Perspective The quote ideal idealizes growth, overlooking the hardships and sacrifices involved. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baba Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baba-son-1384938/) [Brave man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave-man/) [Countess Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countess-growth-1384935/) [Growth Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-son-1384936/) [Son Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-foreign-1384939/) [Strange Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-extraordinary-1384937/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [It is strange that only extraordinary men make the discoveries, which later appear so easy and simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/it-is-strange-that-only-extraordinary-men-make-the-discoveries-which/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [“There was something strange and extraordinary about her – something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-l-travers-2/there-was-something-strange-and-extraordinary-about-her-something/) [P.L. Travers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-l-travers-2/) > [“I before E except after C. Weird? By rebelling against the rules the word itself denotes its very meaning: of strange or extraordinary character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/day-parker/i-before-e-except-after-c-weird-by-rebelling-against-the-rules-the/) [Day Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/day-parker/) > [I will not leave a corner of my consciousness covered up, but saturate myself with the strange and extraordinary new conditions of this life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-rosenberg/i-will-not-leave-a-corner-of-my-consciousness-covered-up-but-saturate/) [Isaac Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-rosenberg/) > [“The universal experience of ages, showing that children do grow imperceptibly from the cradle to manhood, did not exist for the countess. Her son's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-universal-experience-of-ages-showing-that-children-do-grow/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Rostov kept thinking about that brilliant feat of his, which, to his surprise, had gained him the St. George Cross and even given him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rostov-kept-thinking-about-that-brilliant-feat-of-his-which-to-his/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-rr-martin/a-craven-can-be-as-brave-as-any-man-when-there-is-nothing-to-fear-and/) [George RR Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-rr-martin/) > [“The marquis de Carabas was not a good man, and he knew himself well enough to be perfectly certain that he was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-marquis-de-carabas-was-not-a-good-man-and-he-knew-himself-well/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Manifestly, dying is nothing to a really great and brave man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/manifestly-dying-is-nothing-to-a-really-great-and-brave-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The sea's vast depths lie open to the fish; Wherever the breezes blow the bird may fly; So to the brave man every land's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/the-sea-s-vast-depths-lie-open-to-the-fish-wherever-the-breezes-blow/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [There is a destiny in war, to which a brave man knows how to submit with the same courage that he faces his foes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/there-is-a-destiny-in-war-to-which-a-brave-man-knows-how-to-submit/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [New Mexico is full of brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-udall/new-mexico-is-full-of-brave-men-and-women-who-have-dedicated-their/) [Tom Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-udall/) > [“It is true that only a coward can be brave, as a man who feels no fear has conquered nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conn-david-iggulden/it-is-true-that-only-a-coward-can-be-brave-as-a-man-who-feels-no-fear/) [Conn & David Iggulden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conn-david-iggulden/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. 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She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Brave man quotes > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [“It is true that only a coward can be brave, as a man who feels no fear has conquered nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conn-david-iggulden/it-is-true-that-only-a-coward-can-be-brave-as-a-man-who-feels-no-fear/) [Conn & David Iggulden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conn-david-iggulden/) > [New Mexico is full of brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-udall/new-mexico-is-full-of-brave-men-and-women-who-have-dedicated-their/) [Tom Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-udall/) > [There is a destiny in war, to which a brave man knows how to submit with the same courage that he faces his foes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/there-is-a-destiny-in-war-to-which-a-brave-man-knows-how-to-submit/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [The sea's vast depths lie open to the fish; Wherever the breezes blow the bird may fly; So to the brave man every land's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/the-sea-s-vast-depths-lie-open-to-the-fish-wherever-the-breezes-blow/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Manifestly, dying is nothing to a really great and brave man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/manifestly-dying-is-nothing-to-a-really-great-and-brave-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“The marquis de Carabas was not a good man, and he knew himself well enough to be perfectly certain that he was not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-marquis-de-carabas-was-not-a-good-man-and-he-knew-himself-well/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-rr-martin/a-craven-can-be-as-brave-as-any-man-when-there-is-nothing-to-fear-and/) [George RR Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-rr-martin/) > [Even brave men, and D'Arnot was a brave man, are sometimes frightened by solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/even-brave-men-and-d-arnot-was-a-brave-man-are-sometimes-frightened/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Yet each man kills the thing he loves, By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/yet-each-man-kills-the-thing-he-loves-by-each-let-this-be-heard-some/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The god abandons Antony When at the hour of midnight an invisible choir is suddenly heard passing with exquisite music, with voices ― Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-cavafy/the-god-abandons-antony-when-at-the-hour-of-midnight-an-invisible/) [C.P. Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-cavafy/) > [The coward dies a thousand deaths — the brave man only 500.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-willson/the-coward-dies-a-thousand-deaths-the-brave-man-only-500/) [Meredith Willson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-willson/) > [Life is precious Life is a god sent gift and it is your duty to live it to the full. You might face several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaile-stewart/life-is-precious-life-is-a-god-sent-gift-and-it-is-your-duty-to-live/) [Kaile Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaile-stewart/) > [He lay back, put his arm over his eyes, and tried to hold onto the anger, because the anger made him feel brave. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-lay-back-put-his-arm-over-his-eyes-and-tried-to-hold-onto-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 306 Brave man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to think that her son - the little son, whose tiny limbs had faintly stirred within her twenty years ago, for whose sake she had so often quarreled with the count, who would spoil him, the little son, who had first learnt to say grusha, and then had learnt to say baba - that that son was now in a foreign land, in strange surroundings, a manly warrior, alone without help or guidance, doing there his proper manly work. All the world-wide experience of ages, proving that children do imperceptibly from the cradle grow up into men, did not exist for the countess. The growth of her son had been for her at every strage of his growth just as extraordinary as though millions of millions of men had not grown up in the same way. Just as, twenty years before, she could not believe that the little creature that was lying somewhere under her heart, would one day cry and learn to talk, now she could not believe that the same little creature could be that strong, brave man, that paragon of sons and of men that, judging by this letter, he was now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Tolstoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it-was-to-her-to-think-that-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brave man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it-was-to-her-to-think-that-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad9/leo-tolstoy-55_brave-man_how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it_1726128.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was to her to think that her son - the little son, whose tiny…” — Leo Tolstoy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leo Tolstoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it-was-to-her-to-think-that-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/how-strange-extraordinary-and-joyful-it-was-to-her-to-think-that-her/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```