A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts: Tolstoy, Leo, Sekirin, Peter: 9780684837932: Amazon.com: Books
Peter Sekirin
A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts Hardcover – October 14, 1997
by Leo Tolstoy (Author), Peter Sekirin (Editor)
4.5 out of 5 stars 152 ratings
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Tolstoy's last major work reflects his desire to proselytize the moral faith and ideals he struggled to put into practice in his later years. Tolstoy believed that reading daily from the world's great literature was imperative for both his own spiritual edification and that of his readers, so he set himself the task of gathering a wide range of wisdom for every day of the year. He translated, abbreviated, and in many cases expressed entirely in his own words these "quotations" from diverse sources such as the New Testament, the Koran, Greek philosophy, Lao-Tzu, Buddhist thought, and the poetry, novels, and essays of both ancient writers and contemporary thinkers. An important book now released in English for the first time.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Sekirin's translation is accurate and graceful." - The Slavic and East European Journal.
"A bedside companion." - USA Today.
"A surprisingly powerful book." - The Washington Post.
"War and peace, and quiet." Harper's Magazine, New York.
"A great gift." -- Russian Life Magazine (Montpelier, Vermont).
"New & Noted An editor's selection." - The Globe and Mail, Toronto, Ont.
"Nourish your soul with calendar offerings" - Detroit Free Press.
"Even if you don't quite get the whole 'Fifty Shades of Grey' thing. Maybe with
Tolstoy's 'Calendar of Wisdom'? " - Boston Globe.
"Drawing on deep thinkers - it lights up the reader's life." - Kingston Whig - Standard.
"More war than peace in a triumphant finale." - The Times, London (UK).
"Fables and wisdom nuggets." - Tolstoy Studies Journal.
"A self-help book." - Minneapolis Star Tribune.
"This book will inspire." - The Sun, London (UK).
"SPIRITUAL SEEKERS FIND VOLUMES FOR THE SOUL." - Seattle Times.
"Nourish your soul with calendars offering daily doses of wisdom." - The Detroit News.
"Gems of inspiration." - Greensboro News Record, Greensboro, N.C.
"Simplicity and wisdom." - The Vancouver Sun.
"Tolstoy's last major work. . . . An important book." - Library Journal.
"Tolstoy by halves." - Publishers Weekly.
From the Publisher
This is the first-ever English-language edition of the book Leo Tolstoy considered to be his most important contribution to humanity, the work of his life's last years. Widely read in prerevolutionary Russia, banned and forgotten under Communism; and recently rediscovered to great excitement, A Calendar of Wisdom is a day-by-day guide that illuminates the path of a life worth living with a brightness undimmed by time. Unjustly censored for nearly a century, it deserves to be placed with the few books in our history that will never cease teaching us the essence of what is important in this world.
From the Back Cover
This is the first-ever English-language edition of the book Leo Tolstoy considered to be his most important contribution to humanity, the work of his life's last years. Widely read in pre-revolutionary Russia, banned and forgotten under Communism, and recently rediscovered to great excitement, A Calendar of Wisdom is a day-by-day guide that illuminates the path of a life worth living with a brightness undimmed by time. Unjustly censored for nearly a century, it deserves to be placed with the few books in our history that will never cease teaching us the essence of what is important in this world.
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Product details
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Scribner; 37982nd edition (October 14, 1997)
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
152 customer ratings
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Top Reviews
Lawrence L. Willett
2.0 out of 5 stars Tolstoy's original work is wonderful but the Sekirin Translation is not.Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017
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When I first purchased and read this book, one day at a time, since it was meant to be a "daily inspirational" book, I very much enjoyed it, but then I also purchased a Russian Language Edition, Circle of Reading (Круг Чтения), that was printed in 2015 at Moscow.
At this time I noted that there were many entire Daily Sections in the Sekirin Translation that are not in in the Russian Edition. For example, in the Sekirin version, for the August 15 page, the entire entry speaks about the virtue of not eating meat, and when I had earlier read this the first time I was pleased because I am a Vegetarian; however, this vegetarian page is not contained in the 2015 Russian Language Edition.
To further determine which edition, either the Sekirin or the 2015 Moscow Russian Edition was correct, I purchased a copy of the 2-volume, 1923 Russian Language Edition published in Berlin by I. P. Ladizhnikova. The Berlin 1923 Russian Language Edition and the 2015 Moscow Russian Language Edition are identical.
Although, as a Vegetarian I did enjoy the advocacy extolling the benefits of not eating meat, I think Sekirin made an egregious error in replacing the very good messages that Tolstoy placed in his original book for August 15. Sekirin should have simply translated Tolstoy's messages and not replaced Tolstoy's beliefs with his own. I am still reading the Circle of Reading on a daily basis but now am comparing the different editions just to see what other changes may have been made. Sekirin is a great disappointment for me and I will not be purchasing any of his other works.
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Brandon Matuja
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolstoy's last major work.Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015
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I'm so glad to have found this book, a rare book in America, here for the first time in English (recently), apparently. It was one of Tolstoy's very last works (THE last?), and he stated that it was his favorite of his own books. Which was humble of him to say, because it's probably at least half composed of various quotations and sayings of wisdom from a wide array of philosophers, Christian, non-Christian, and even secular. The other half or so of the book is his own thoughts and messages to us.
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Brandon Matuja
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolstoy's last major work.Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2015
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I'm so glad to have found this book, a rare book in America, here for the first time in English (recently), apparently. It was one of Tolstoy's very last works (THE last?), and he stated that it was his favorite of his own books. Which was humble of him to say, because it's probably at least half composed of various quotations and sayings of wisdom from a wide array of philosophers, Christian, non-Christian, and even secular. The other half or so of the book is his own thoughts and messages to us.
It's structured as a "daily devotional", and each day's entry has a particular topic or theme--the main points of which are (in this edition, though apparently not in the original work of Tolstoy's) conveniently italicized for us. Tolstoy was imperfect and inconsistent just like every other genius. (What IS "consistency"? Even machines and robots and assembly-lines make mistakes...) But he was much to be admired, I feel, for his often radical stands for conscience and truth in a typically corrupt contemporary society--in his case, Russia's.
He made many controversial but impressive decisions (giving away much of his wealth, starting at least one Christian community, and voluntarily becoming a laborer, though he was by birth a privileged Count and aristocrat); he wrote many controversial works (like "The Kreutzer Sonata", a short story which was mostly a diatribe against lust and sexual politics, and which even encouraged celibacy in marriages!), and made many controversial statements (for instance, calling his two earlier, famous, epic novels "Anna Karenina" and "War & Peace", "the works of an idle mind," if memory serves.) He was a genuinely born-again Christian, but he was uncommonly friendly and open-minded toward other faiths and philosophers, as long as he discerned in them a genuine interest in truth and love. This book shows how "ecumenical" (in the best sense of that word) he came to be, in his old age. Yes, he might be divisive, but he was an honest seeker of truth, and I look forward to meeting him in Heaven. This "daily devotional"--a swan song, of sorts--is attractively typeset, formatted, and bound, and (most importantly) will surely give the seeker of truth many wise words & perspectives to meditate upon.
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Frank Voehl
5.0 out of 5 stars Get This One on Your Calendar TodayReviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014
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Leo Tolstoy once called this book his greatest work because there are contained within this book some thoughts from many of the greatest minds that Tolstoy admired. He believed that the only really true enduring religion is one which all people could share, and accordingly he was not one for preaching the dogma of any specific religion, by taking general ideas from the Bible, Koran, Talmud, Greek philosophy, and Buddhist teaching, along with thoughts from great thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius. When one reads this book, they are acutely aware that these deep thinkers and their religions share much more in common than in conflict.
Readers beware that Tolstoy is not directly quoting these people,; he is more or less paraphrasing them in his own words and style to make them more readable and pertinent. Each page is a days worth of quotes pertaining to a particular theme with one quote highlighted by Tolstoy. A weakness is that it has omitted his Weekly Messages, each one consisting on 5-10 pages, which make the whole document a more complete package as a whole (perhaps one day these too will be translated into English as a companion book).
What I like about this book most of all is using it as a day-by-day guide to illuminate one's own path of a life, which is worth living with a brightness undimmed by time. Another useful feature is that for each day one paragraph is in italics to condense the essence of the author's teachings for that day -- providing the essence of the day's thought.
A real treasure and a worthwhile read.
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Patrick Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Medicine For The SoulReviewed in Canada on January 7, 2020
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This book is a brilliant collection of wisdom, from some of the world`s greatest thinkers. The list of people includes; many philosophers, writers, world leaders, and various religious leaders. Some secular-minded readers, may not appreciate the large content of religious citations. However, there is such a wide range of materials available. This will allow the reader to pick and choose, what they find most interesting.
Hats off to Tolstoy for a job well done! This book gets a very high recommendation.
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15 people found this helpful
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Frank Voehl
5.0 out of 5 stars Get This One on Your Calendar TodayReviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014
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Leo Tolstoy once called this book his greatest work because there are contained within this book some thoughts from many of the greatest minds that Tolstoy admired. He believed that the only really true enduring religion is one which all people could share, and accordingly he was not one for preaching the dogma of any specific religion, by taking general ideas from the Bible, Koran, Talmud, Greek philosophy, and Buddhist teaching, along with thoughts from great thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius. When one reads this book, they are acutely aware that these deep thinkers and their religions share much more in common than in conflict.
Readers beware that Tolstoy is not directly quoting these people,; he is more or less paraphrasing them in his own words and style to make them more readable and pertinent. Each page is a days worth of quotes pertaining to a particular theme with one quote highlighted by Tolstoy. A weakness is that it has omitted his Weekly Messages, each one consisting on 5-10 pages, which make the whole document a more complete package as a whole (perhaps one day these too will be translated into English as a companion book).
What I like about this book most of all is using it as a day-by-day guide to illuminate one's own path of a life, which is worth living with a brightness undimmed by time. Another useful feature is that for each day one paragraph is in italics to condense the essence of the author's teachings for that day -- providing the essence of the day's thought.
A real treasure and a worthwhile read.
14 people found this helpful
---
Top international reviews
Translate all reviews to English
Patrick Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Medicine For The SoulReviewed in Canada on January 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is a brilliant collection of wisdom, from some of the world`s greatest thinkers. The list of people includes; many philosophers, writers, world leaders, and various religious leaders. Some secular-minded readers, may not appreciate the large content of religious citations. However, there is such a wide range of materials available. This will allow the reader to pick and choose, what they find most interesting.
Hats off to Tolstoy for a job well done! This book gets a very high recommendation.
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Amanda
Nov 29, 2010Amanda rated it it was amazing
A precious collection of quotes and snippets of text from The Talmud, The Bible, The Qur'an, The Bhagavad Gita, various poets, authors, and other religious, philosophical, and cultural texts. Hand-picked carefully by Tolstoy. One page for each day.
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Maggie
Jul 09, 2012Maggie rated it really liked it
My bed time great companion. It smoothes one's thought and is very inspiring in different school of thoughts, covering from the East to the West, ancient to now. It is too lucky of us to have this book as Tolstoy finished it as one of the biggest projects before his death. Tolstoy, why everytime I flip over a page of your words with hesitations, with the doubts in myself of being incapable of taking in your great thoughts and with fears of my book thay would run out sooner with one more page completed. Such an heartache, but worthy to be tolerated. :)
Big thanks to the storekeeper of a little bookstore on Toorak Road. I am just blessed to have exchanged those words and dreams with you. Wish you all well! (less)
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David Gross
Feb 07, 2020David Gross rated it did not like it
Shelves: non-fiction
While there are a few pearls of wisdom scattered here and there in this collection, most of it is vague, shallow platitudenizing suitable for new age refrigerator-magnets. It stands as a warning that a mind of Tolstoy's caliber could have become so vulnerable to so much Sunday School poppycock.
Also: it's eye-rollingly repetitive.
And: the quotes are often Tolstoy's paraphrases rather than the actual words of the people he attributes them to... and sometimes they seem to be simplified in a way that does not respect the nuances of the original. (less)
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Raymond
Jul 04, 2019Raymond rated it liked it
A good source of wisdom quotes from Tolstoy and others. Several quotes with a common theme are featured for each day of the year.
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Tara
Feb 28, 2008Tara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is a thought for every day that is encouraging and true
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Manik Sukoco
Dec 24, 2015Manik Sukoco rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This extraordinary volume of selections from Leo Tolstoy's writings from his final years is a treasure, and it has a spirit of love and peace that one can even feel as one holds this book in one's hands. It is a delight and inspiration to read, whether one chooses to read it through from cover to cover, or use it as one would a daily devotional; to start each day with Tolstoy's wisdom, is to start the day with a quiet joy, and fresh understanding of what lies ahead. For each day, there is a chapter of approximately 125-150 words, and many include quotes from the world's great thinkers, from Confucius to Henry David Thoreau, and from Buddhist proverbs to the Talmud.
The themes range from one's spiritual life to the mundane, to the core of all things, love, and cover all relevant topics of the human condition. Though these thoughts were written from the years 1903 through 1910, they are as relevant today as ever. "Wise Thoughts for Every Day" is truly a "guide to living a good life" in any age.
The translation has a lucid beauty, and also a rare simplicity, making Tolstoy's thoughts understandable and highly readable. Those who stay away from Russian literature thinking it too complex should not overlook this superb book, which will appeal to anyone seeking truth and enlightenment, young and old alike.
The layout is wonderful, and it is a sturdily constructed book, with 365 pages of wisdom. This was Tolstoy's favorite of all his works, and he would have been so proud of this volume, in its first translation into English; it is a classic that belongs on every bookshelf, to be read and re-read as the years go by. (less)
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Aidan Reid
Oct 01, 2018Aidan Reid rated it really liked it
Some gems in here:
"When you emerged into this world you cried, while everyone else was overjoyed. Try to see to it that, when you leave this world, everyone cries, while you alone smile."
"The more accustomed we get to doing with less, the less threatening we find deprivation."
"Wealth is like manure: it stinks when it is piled up, but when it is scattered about the Earth it fertilises it."
"Look upon your thoughts as if they were your guests, and your desires as if they were your children."
- Surprised by the number of quotes related to vegetarianism, anti-war and opposition to traditional orthodox religion. Recommended reading. (less)
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Marina Fraser
Jun 01, 2011Marina Fraser rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
a great collection of wise thoughts
and quotations by
great writers
from all over the world
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Christina
Feb 17, 2019Christina rated it did not like it · review of another edition
Shelves: dnf, personal-library
I gave this book a shot from January 1 til mid-February, but it's just not doing it for me. It's too religious. I prefer The Daily Stoic, which I find 10000x better and more suitable for my life.
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Octavia Cade
Mar 04, 2018Octavia Cade rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: religion, philosophy
It's always tempting, when reading the great novelists especially, to try to sift through the text to discover something of their own, personal opinions and beliefs. It can be tricky - we can misinterpret, or see things we want to see, or even ascribe meaning where there is none, particularly. With a book like this it's easier: Tolstoy made his own "quote of the day" calendar, essentially, except there's more than one (themed) quote per day and he adds a little piece of commentary of his own - sometimes as little as a sentence, sometimes as much as a couple of paragraphs. This was his pet project, according to the introduction, and readers can see what questions of ethics and philosophy and religion mattered to him most. The vast bulk of the subject matter is religious (particularly Christian, though a substantial amount comes from other traditions) and not being religious myself I can admire the writing and the emphasis on kindness, for example, without sympathising with everything that Tolstoy does. He seems to have a consistent hate-on for science, for example, and it's pretty clear he thinks it's a waste of time and brain space when people could be focusing on their spiritual life and so forth. At one point, there's a piece of writing that laments the waste of intellect in figuring our why water freezes or (my favourite!) how diseases spread, because goodness knows its easier to contemplate the divine in perfect happiness if all your children are dead of whooping cough. The book would get three stars from me if it weren't for that particular emphasis.
No higher, however. The introduction kind of poisoned the book for me and the disappointment lasted. Apparently in the original text (one of them at least) Tolstoy wrote what seemed to be very well-regarded short stories, one for each week of the year. But, the translator says, they didn't appear in all editions and they're quite long all together (!) so he didn't bother. Frankly, I'd rather have read the stories, and given that Tolstoy's great novels were massive doorstopper books then surely the page count could have been increased here to compensate.
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Rob
Mar 18, 2013Rob rated it liked it
This book is a sort of daily proverb calendar compiled and/or written by Leo Tolstoy. There are 365 pages of quotes, philosophical ramblings, or scriptural verses that are tied together by a topic. The topics include such things as wealth, poverty, education, intellect, science, faith, effort, prayer, civility, self-improvement, and so on. Tolstoy borrows from a variety of religious texts, particularly the Gospels and the Talmud. And there are certain authors and philosophers that he tends to quote often as well including Kant, Ruskin, Emmerson, and Thoreau. About half of the text appears to be his own original thoughts. It is all titled 'Calendar of Wisdom', and there certainly is a lot of wisdom found in the pages, although some proverbs appear to be poetic but not really meaningful. There is also a portion of the radical or ascetic Christian belief system that Tolstoy adopted later on in life, which I found interesting.
I really liked the idea of what Tolstoy did: compiling and organizing all of the the thoughts, ideas, quotes, and philosophies that have shaped your outlook on life, and adding a few of your own. The book was good food for thought, and while the truth of some quotes could be debated, it presented a challenge in any case that forced me to consider ideas I hadn't spent much time thinking about before. I left the book completely marked with the pearls of wisdom that appealed to me most. Here are a few short ones for a sampling:
"It is not the blaming of evil but the glorifying of goodness that creates harmony in our lives." (Lucy Mallory)
"For a Christian, the love of one's motherland can be an obstacle to the love of one's neighbor." (Tolstoy)
"The more people speak, the less desire they have to act." (Thomas Carlyle)
"A victory over oneself is a bigger and a better victory than a victory over thousands of people in a score of battles..." (Dhammapada)
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Robin
Jan 06, 2019Robin rated it did not like it
I am giving up on this pretty early in the year.
I read ahead a few days, and in the first 10 days, I found only about 3 daily thoughts of wisdom that I enjoyed. Most of them are taking from religious books which while in theory could be good/interesting are so far written in very old styles that don't really add anything.
The only good quotes sofar came from Thomas Jefferson and Confucius, and there must be much better books out there with a much higher ratio of good quotes to bad quotes.
So perhaps I will try this again next year, but for now I'm going to 1-star this.
There was also just way way way too much religion in there for my taste (less)
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Cheri
Jan 07, 2009Cheri rated it liked it
I did not realize how much religious content would be in the book. There was however a lot of other material I enjoyed reading. I particulary enjoyed reading about the various quotes on vegetarianism. A nice book to read through and go back to your favorite verses for inspiration.
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Mark Esping
Feb 03, 2014Mark Esping rated it it was amazing
To be read one day at a time. Starting my third time through. Amazing the people that Tolstoy read. I always read the days readings before breakfast and then my wife and I start the day with those topics.
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Amro Osman
Oct 05, 2014Amro Osman rated it it was amazing
I lost count how many times I've been inspired throughout this book. A truly eye opening read.
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Marina M.frazer
Jun 01, 2011Marina M.frazer rated it it was amazing
great
read
for every day
of the year -
i keep it on my desk
and read a page a day
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Nick
Jan 16, 2017Nick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: philosopy, authors-tolstoy
One of those books you can read again and again. Religion, ethics, philosophy- all good for reflection.
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Natalia
Dec 19, 2018Natalia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Such a joy to have around the house.
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Joy
Aug 09, 2014Joy rated it really liked it
I love quotes, so Tolstoy's selections on varied topics was most interesting. I'm reminded that you learn a lot about someone by the wisdom they appreciate. This collection was Tolstoy's last major work and a project of 15 years. Examples: "Those who are in the mountains can see the sun rise sooner than those in the valley." "A person who loves himself has few competitors." "He has power who can keep quiet in an argument even when he is right."
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Mark
Jul 25, 2011Mark rated it liked it
Shelves: spiritual, philosophy
I find it hard to sit and just read it "page by page-day by day" So I take it in chunks. I agree with a great deal of what I find, disagree with some,a s it ought to be for someone who draws their own conclusions on the world. However, his general philosophy is so sympatico with my on on too many things, to pass it off and say "well, I Don't Care if I finish it this year, or not"- I plan to get through the whole thing, then, pass it on to an interested friend...
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Lane Anderson
Jan 17, 2013Lane Anderson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I've been turning to this book every morning for a while now. Tolstoy was a great thinker, and his thoughts on religion and philosophy are a frequently-sought but rarely-found source of great wisdom. I highly recommend this book as a daily reader!
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Arlo
Jun 12, 2017Arlo rated it really liked it
Somewhat a book of affirmations. Tolstoy is Christian and expresses his views on Christianity. He uses all of the world's religions in a sense to get across his view on life.
As a vegan his views on meat eating were refreshing.
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Craig
May 18, 2012Craig rated it it was amazing
One of the 5 books I keep on my shelf at work to ground me, to re-set my moral compass, and to remind me of what is important. Many of the religious quotes do not resonate for me but the rest does in a big way.
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Ivey Coss
Feb 27, 2013Ivey Coss rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: constant-reference
These juicy little nuggets of timeless wisdom help to jar the mind out of all that entangles it from more theories, more teachings, more formulas and the barrage of of "NEW" that comes out every day!
It's simple and pointed with scriptures to back it up! A joy to read each day!
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John
Jan 02, 2019John rated it it was ok
Rated: D+
This book was given to me by participants in a workshop that I delivered. It is a day-by-day listing of quotation that Tolstoy put together with each day having a common theme. Based on the wide variety of quotation from various religious sources, Tolstoy has an open theology to accept ideas for numerous belief systems. Consequently, I found most of the ideas more of a humanistic world view which often is antithetical to a biblical world view. With thousands of quotations, only a handful were memorable. (less)
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Vizi Andrei
Nov 27, 2019Vizi Andrei rated it liked it
Leo Tolstoy is easily one of my favorite thinkers. The concept of the book is clever; in an abundant world, knowledge is not about gathering information, but about filtering it.
There are many (way too many) books (and increasingly more) which are not to be read in full, but in small parts. This book is to be read in full.
Anyway, I found many reflections to be extremely repetitive (which could indeed be a virtue: repetition is the mother of all learning), but there was an excess of it to the point that you get bored. Also, the book is way too religious. I'm not against religion, but this book is meant to be about wisdom, not religion. Of course, wisdom could have religion in it; but, again, there's an excess. (less)
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