"My dear brother, for God's sake, for the sake of your soul, for the sake of your life, do not decide in advance that everything I write here is false, does not correspond to that superior science that you think you possess. For the sake of all that is dear to you, I beseech you: read carefully what is written here, try to understand what is written (as we must always relate to the thoughts and words of another man) in the way they- he who wrote them understood. And if you are unhappy, and I know you are unhappy, think that what is proposed to you here is not invented by me, but is the fruit of the intellectual efforts of all, of the highest human minds and hearts, and is not just reasoning and words empty, but the most practical and surest means of ridding yourself of your unhappiness and bestowing upon yourself the greatest good. Think and feel this.
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Author
Leo TolstoyAll Translations
All Translations
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My dear brother, for God's sake, for the sake of your soul, for the sake of your life, do not decide in advance that everything I write here is false, does not correspond to that superior science that you think you possess. For the sake of all that is dear to you, I beseech you: read carefully what is written here, try to understand what is written (as we must always relate to the thoughts and words of another man) in the way they- he who wrote them understood. And if you are unhappy, and I know you are unhappy, think that what is proposed to you here is not invented by me, but is the fruit of the intellectual efforts of all, of the highest human minds and hearts, and is not just reasoning and words empty, but the most practical and surest means of ridding yourself of your unhappiness and bestowing upon yourself the greatest good. Think and feel this.
""Dragul meu frate, pentru Dumnezeu, de dragul sufletului tău, de dragul vieții tale, nu hotărî dinainte că tot ce scriu eu aici e fals, nu corespunde acelei științe superioare pe care ți se pare că o stăpânești. De dragul a tot ce ți-e scump, te implor pentru tine: citește cu atenție ce e scris aici, încearcă să înțelegi ce e scris (așa cum trebuie mereu să ne raportăm la gândurile și cuvintele altui om) în felul în care le-a înțeles cel ce le-a scris. Iar dacă ești nefericit, și știu că ești nefericit, gândește-te că ce ți se propune aici nu e născocit de mine, ci e rodul eforturilor intelectuale ale tuturor, ale celor mai înalte minți și inimi omenești, și nu sunt doar raționamente și vorbe goale, ci cel mai practic și sigur mijloc de a te izbavi de nefericirea ta și de a-ți dărui cel mai mare bine. Gândește-te și simte asta."