A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts

Leo Tolstoy called this his greatest work......I would have to agree. Contained within this book are thoughts from some of the greatest minds of all time. Tolstoy believed that the only true religion is one which everyone could share, and thus he was not one for preaching the dogma of any specific religion. Rather, he takes general ideas from the Bible, Koran, Talmud, Greek philosophy, and Buddhist teachings and on down the line, along with thoughts from great thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius. When one reads this book, they are acutely aware that the religions share much more in common than not. Each page is a days worth of quotes pertaining to a particular theme with one quote highlighted by Tolstoy. One can read War and Peace and be entertained, but at the end of the day, it is works like this which lend to reflection and making oneself a better person (or trying to become one), which makes this much a more important book. Tolstoy saw this; I believe you will too after reading this. Tolstoy had a later book written just before his death called Path of Life, which is similar to this in that it is a compendium of great thoughts from great thinkers, but it is not in the 365 day format of this book which makes so easily accessible. BOTH are highly recommended though....they each have a permanent place on my bookshelf.

I'm at a loss here to adequately describe my feelings concerning this book. I can see why Leo Tolstoy considered it his greatest contribution. It transcends even his great soul, for it is the cumulative soul of mankind. I am awed by this collection of the highest thoughts of mankinds' greatest representatives. There is such a wide cross-cultural range, yet you sense that all these minds, these souls, were connected by the same "golden thread": Lao-Tsu, Buddha, Socrates, Zoroaster, Manu, Pythagoras, Augustine, Mohammed, Mamononides, etc., etc., etc. I was especially struck by extensive quotes from such Americans as Jefferson, Emerson, Thoreau, even Chief Blackhawk of the Sauk. This is no shallow "new age" conglomeration, it was all carefully and lovingly assembled into a single masterful edifice over a century ago. I can see now that this volume shall never leave my personal library. Indeed, it may never leave my nightstand. After the horrors and abominations of the day, this book never fails to restore the soul. Unless of course you are an INFJ personality type- in that case this book IS your soul....

These intellectual and spiritual perspectives organized into bite-sized morsels of wisdom are thematic and tasty. An important part of my daily diet. Ideas and thoughts from diverse thinkers from every epoch of time. A real treat for anyone who believes that to grow we must always try out the ideas of others in our own mind. Think of it as daily mental yoga. A great gift for any age. I am handing them out like Gideon : )

...laid gradually, day by day. There are still critics of Tolstoy who view his religious phase of life with anything from consternation to disdain. The fact is that he brought a probing intellect as strong as anyone else's in Europe, searing psychological understanding, and voluminous reading to bear on the fundamental questions of life. In this book he collected the wisest sayings he could find on a multitude of topics, plus his own distillations of their wisdom, and arranged them by subject for daily meditation. One effect of this book, which I'm sure Tolstoy desired, was that you'll want to go back to his sources with renewed eagerness. One professional reviewer described this book as "chicken soup for the soul without the schmalz". It's more than chicken soup -- it's the bread of life.

One of my favorites! I have a daily process, which includes morning reading of several great works. It didn't take long for this book to rise to the top. Tolstoy has done a great service to mankind through his collection of great insights and wisdom. Nicely translated by Peter Sekirin, this book is a treasure awaiting discovery! Tolstoy put a tremendous effort into his concept of "A wise thought for every day of the year, from the great philosophers of all times and all people." It took him over fifteen years of searching to compile this final version of which Tolstoy himself would consult daily for the rest of his life. Wisdom from the likes of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, Jesus, Confucius, Emerson, Kant, Ruskin, Seneca, Socrates, Thoreau and many more. Tolstoy's love and passion for his work shines through as he writes in his introduction..."I hope that the readers of this book may experience the same benevolent and elevating feeling which I have experienced when I was working on it's creation, and which I experience again and again when I reread it every day, working on the enlargement and improvement of the previous edition." I am sure that this book will be one of your all time favorites too!