--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We often believe that our life moves…" description: "\"“We often believe that our life moves forward only when we meet others. This is not true. Our real lives unfold when we are alone, when we are one-on-o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/leo-tolstoy-55_life_we-often-believe-that-our-life-moves-for_702946.png" --- # We often believe that our life moves forward only when we… ![“We often believe that our life moves forward only when we meet others. This is not true. Our real lives unfold when we are alone, when we are one-on-one with our thoughts. A thought is a great force. This force finds its way out of a person through words, making one’s deeds a blessing or a curse…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/leo-tolstoy-55_life_we-often-believe-that-our-life-moves-for_702946.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/leo-tolstoy-55_life_we-often-believe-that-our-life-moves-for_702946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/leo-tolstoy-55_life_we-often-believe-that-our-life-moves-for_702946.png) > ““We often believe that our life moves forward only when we meet others. This is not true. Our real lives unfold when we are alone, when we are one-on-one with our thoughts. A thought is a great force. This force finds its way out of a person through words, making one’s deeds a blessing or a curse, depending on whether it was a good or bad thought. It”” [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. Solitude nurtures deep thought, which shapes words and deeds, for better or worse. **In simple terms:** Being alone fuels powerful ideas that affect actions. Key Takeaway Cultivate reflective solitude. Themes solitude thought responsibility Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - decision‑making - personal growth - creative work Key Concepts mindfulness self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What thoughts guide your actions? - How do you balance solitude with connection? A Different Perspective Too much isolation can hinder social skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ## Related quotes > [I am all and nothing; I am not a mere thought, but at the same time I am full of thoughts, a thought-world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/i-am-all-and-nothing-i-am-not-a-mere-thought-but-at-the-same-time-i/) [Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/) > [All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-truly-wise-thoughts-have-been-thought-already-thousands-of-times/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I think maybe bad things seem worse when people are alone. When they can turn that bad thought over and over in their head,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-wiersbitzky/i-think-maybe-bad-things-seem-worse-when-people-are-alone-when-they/) [Shannon Wiersbitzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-wiersbitzky/) > [“I treat positivity like ammunition; I constantly try to kill a bad thought with a good one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-nadeen/i-treat-positivity-like-ammunition-i-constantly-try-to-kill-a-bad/) [Bailey Nadeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-nadeen/) > [“She had had insomnia badly when she was fresh from Home… She had had only occasional bad nights since then. Bad? she thought. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/she-had-had-insomnia-badly-when-she-was-fresh-from-home-she-had-had/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [Mr. Shepherd, ye cannot stop a bad thought from coming into your head. But ye need not pull up a chair and bide it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/mr-shepherd-ye-cannot-stop-a-bad-thought-from-coming-into-your-head/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Sometimes, when the dust settles, you realize it's really not as bad as you thought it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gale/sometimes-when-the-dust-settles-you-realize-it-s-really-not-as-bad-as/) [Susan Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gale/) > [If you have a bad thought about yourself, tell it to go to hell because that is exactly where it came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-have-a-bad-thought-about-yourself-tell-it-to-go-to-hell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Education is the best way to relieve someone from a bad thought process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/education-is-the-best-way-to-relieve-someone-from-a-bad-thought/) [Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/) > [That was one of the virtues of being a pessimist: nothing was ever as bad as you thought it would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jones/that-was-one-of-the-virtues-of-being-a-pessimist-nothing-was-ever-as/) [James Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jones/) > [That might be my epitaph: 'It wasn't as bad as I thought. Here lies Phil Lord.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lord/that-might-be-my-epitaph-it-wasn-t-as-bad-as-i-thought-here-lies-phil/) [Phil Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lord/) > [I'm a bit rubbish at knowing when something is good. But if it goes out and I can say, "I wasn't as bad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/i-m-a-bit-rubbish-at-knowing-when-something-is-good-but-if-it-goes/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [“While getting a haircut, I thought about my failed marriage. Instead of feeling bad, I thought I’d grow a beard, move to the mountains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/while-getting-a-haircut-i-thought-about-my-failed-marriage-instead-of/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [People make assumptions about me based on my music. I've literally had people stop me in the street: 'You are so sweet. I bet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/people-make-assumptions-about-me-based-on-my-music-i-ve-literally-had/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) > [“It is not a rule, that whenever you have a bad thought, it will seize your chit. It may or may not be so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/it-is-not-a-rule-that-whenever-you-have-a-bad-thought-it-will-seize/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) ## 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. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. 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 Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We often believe that our life moves forward only when we meet others. 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