Quote by Leo Tolstoy
[from ]In those days also people loved, envied, sought truth and virtue, and where carried away by passions; and there was the same complex mental and moral life among the upper classes, where were in some instances even more refined than now. If we have come to believe in the perversity and coarse violence of that period, that is only because the traditions, memoirs, stories, and novels that have been handed to us, record for the most part exceptional cases of violence and brutality. To suppose that the predominant characteristic of that period was turbulence, is as unjust as it would before a man, seeing nothing but the tops of trees beyond a hill, to conclude that there was nothing to be found in that locality but trees.
![[from ]In those days also people loved, envied, sought truth](https://quotation.io/quotes/days-also-people-loved-envied-sought-truth.jpg)
Summary
This quote explains that the perception of a historical period being defined by violence and brutality is often unjust. The author argues that if we solely rely on traditions, memoirs, stories, and novels to understand the past, it may give us the impression that violence was the prevailing characteristic of that time. However, this is misleading as these sources often focus on exceptional cases rather than the overall reality. Comparing this perception to someone only seeing the tops of trees beyond a hill and assuming that's all there is, the quote emphasizes the importance of considering a broader perspective to avoid misjudgment.
Topics
History
By Leo Tolstoy
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