--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we allow that human life can be…" description: "\"“If we allow that human life can be governed by reason, the possibility of life is annihilated”\" — Leo Tolstoy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/leo-tolstoy-55_human-life_if-we-allow-that-human-life-can-be-gover_3228737.png" --- # If we allow that human life can be governed by reason, the… ![“If we allow that human life can be governed by reason, the possibility of life is annihilated” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/leo-tolstoy-55_human-life_if-we-allow-that-human-life-can-be-gover_3228737.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/leo-tolstoy-55_human-life_if-we-allow-that-human-life-can-be-gover_3228737.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/leo-tolstoy-55_human-life_if-we-allow-that-human-life-can-be-gover_3228737.png) > ““If we allow that human life can be governed by reason, the possibility of life is annihilated”” [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. If rationality governs life, it may strip away meaning and humanity. **In simple terms:** Reason can erase life's meaning. Key Takeaway Balance reason with emotion. Themes philosophy humanity reason Mood reflective serious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - political decision - scientific policy - personal choices Key Concepts existentialism ethics meaning Questions to Reflect On - Can reason coexist with passion? - What values survive rational control? A Different Perspective Reason alone cannot address emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Governed Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governed-reason-1639209/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Governed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-governed-695336/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-possibility-242766/) ## Related quotes > [If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, the possibility of life is destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-we-admit-that-human-life-can-be-ruled-by-reason-the-possibility-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [No experiment can be more interesting than that we are now trying, and which we trust will end in establishing the fact, that man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-experiment-can-be-more-interesting-than-that-we-are-now-trying-and-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [And because the condition of Man, (as hath been declared in the precedent Chapter) is a condition of Warre of every one against everyone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/and-because-the-condition-of-man-as-hath-been-declared-in-the/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [I hope that we have not labored in vain, and that our experiment will still prove that men can be governed by reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-hope-that-we-have-not-labored-in-vain-and-that-our-experiment-will/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Where can I find a man governed by reason instead of habits and urges?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/where-can-i-find-a-man-governed-by-reason-instead-of-habits-and-urges/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [We are the creatures of imagination, passion, and self-will, more than of reason or even of self-interest. 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