About the book
Leo Tolstoy spent his last years compiling a collection of thoughts from the great philosophers and religious teachers of many cultures, arranged so that each day of the year has its own theme. The voices include Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, Kant, Emerson and Thoreau, and Tolstoy added reflections of his own to every daily entry. The Russian title translates literally as Circle of Reading. Tolstoy consulted the readings himself each day and, according to translator Peter Sekirin, worked on the collection for about 15 years, and it was his last major work. Forbidden under Soviet rule, it returned to Russian print in 1995 and sold more than 300,000 copies.
Ryan Holiday listed it among the very best books he read in 2018, praising how each day blends Stoic, Christian, Chinese, Jewish, Indian and Arabic sources into practical advice.
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This book has 1 recommendation
Ryan Holiday (Media Strategist, Author, Founder/Brass Check)
It’s basically a collection of Tolstoy’s favorite passages from the ancient and classic texts, with excellent supplements from his own considerable wisdom. Each day draws on Chinese, Jewish, Stoic, Christian, Indian and Arabic sources (he quotes everyone from Emerson to Marcus Aurelius to Lao-Tzu) and manages to give good, actionable advice from all of these differing schools. It’s no wonder the Communists banned and suppressed this book, because it challenges everything they were trying to deny about human nature and the human experience. This book should be much, much, more popular and I promise your mornings will be improved if you start them with it.
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