Quote by Leo Tolstoy
In everything, almost in everything, I wrote I was guided by the need of collecting ideas which, linked together, would be the expression of myself, though each individual idea, expressed separately in words, loses its meaning, is horribly debased when only one of the links, of which it forms a part, is taken by itself. But the interlinking of these ideas is not, I think, an intellectual process, but something else, and it is impossible to express the source of this interlinking directly in words; it can only be done indirectly by describing images, actions, and situations in words.
Summary
The quote emphasizes the author's intention to express their true self through a collection of interconnected ideas. They believe that each idea loses its significance when considered in isolation, emphasizing the importance of the interlinking process. The author suggests that this process is not solely intellectual, but rather an indescribable instinct or intuition. They argue that attempting to capture this interlinking directly through words is impossible and instead can only be expressed indirectly through vivid descriptions of images, actions, and situations.
By Leo Tolstoy