The meaning of life, its goal is joy. Feel joyous as you look at the sky, the sun, the stars, the grass, the trees, the animals, the people. And make sure that nothing spoils this joy. If the joy disappears, this means you made a mistake somewhere. You need to look for this mistake and correct it.

  – Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy is not one of my favorite writers but this statement is impossible to disagree with. Many people accept misery or, in the best of cases, lack of any strong emotions about their existence as the normal state of affairs while exultant joy and happiness are seen as rare aberrations. It shouldn’t be that way, though. If we possess the capacity to feel intensely happy, then this skill should be put to use as often as possible.

12 responses to “Tolstoy on Joy”

  1. Ashley Pariseau Avatar

    Wow yeah I completely agree. Very inspirational!

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  2. Helena Suess Avatar

    Happy Remembrance Day, Clarissa.

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar

      Is it today?

      And also, why am I so clueless?

      Like

    2. David Gendron Avatar

      Happy Get on Your Knees and Suck a Terrorist Cock, everyone!

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  3. TitforTat Avatar

    Here is one of my favourite quotes

    “In life pain is inevitable, suffering is optional” 🙂

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    1. bloggerclarissa Avatar

      This is, indeed, a great piece of wisdom.
      Suffering is always a choice. And it’s an OK choice, as long as one realizes why one made it.

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      1. TitforTat Avatar

        I remember an interview several years back with a professional football player. He compared a sunday game to the equivalent of 3 major car crashes. The interviewer asked him why he would subject himself to such damage. The players response, “I love Football” . Its all perspective. 😉

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  4. Bola Avatar
    Bola

    Thanks, this is a great quote! 🙂

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  5. David Gendron Avatar

    Artists need intense joy AND intense suffering. In fact, the best for them to create is living intense suffering, temporarily though.

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    1. David Gendron Avatar

      more precisely “intense sadness”.

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    2. n8chz Avatar

      Yup. Turn that frown around, but temporarily. Nothing worse than a permasmile. The same symbol repeated indefinitely means zero information.

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