Everything I Know

In “War and Peace,” Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Love hinders death. Love is life. All, everything that I understand. I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.”

Many simplify and know the essence of this passage as, “Everything I know, I know because of love.”

What did Tolstoy mean?

From birth, parents teach their children. They do this because they want their children to grow up capable of caring for themselves so they can live a good life. Parents do this out of love.

One may know because of one’s teachers. Teachers teach for the love of teaching, dedicating their time and energy to advancing youth, the future of humanity, and the students only know because of a teacher’s love.

One may know because of love for travel, seeing, and experiencing the world. A love for adventure led to that quest to know.

But one may also know because they fall in love with a particular subject. They love it so much that all they eat, sleep, and breathe is science, math, medicine, or whatever may be their calling.

But did Tolstoy literally mean know, such as understand?

Was Tolstoy saying one may only really know life if one loves? Before love is what he knew, but everything he knows is what came after he found love in a spouse, children, or the world.

Know could also mean everything I know to be — everything that is life. And that is also known only through love.

Love physically birthed Tolstoy and everyone.

Everyone only knows life because of love.