Just imagine the existence of a man - let us call him A - who has left youth far behind, and of a woman whom we may call B, who is young and happy and has seen nothing as yet of life or of the world. Family circumstances of various kinds brought them together, and he grew to love her as a daughter, and had no fear that his love would change its nature. But he forgot that B was so young, that life was still a May-game to her and that it was easy to fall in love with her in a different way, and that this would amuse her. He made a mistake and was suddenly aware of another feeling, as heavy as remorse, making its way into his heart, and he was afraid. He was afraid that their old friendly relations would be destroyed, and he made up his mind to go away before that happened. Leo Tolstoy
About This Quote

The existence of a man who has grown up and has lost his youthful beauty. That man has grown up and has forgotten what it means to be young. Some time ago he was like a child, full of life, full of enthusiasm, full of hope, but now everything is different. He is no longer young and happy, but his heart is heavy with the knowledge that he is no longer young.

He once had enough strength to sacrifice himself for others, but now it seems that he would sacrifice himself for nothing. This man might be called 'A' in this quote.

Source: Family Happiness

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More Quotes By Leo Tolstoy
  1. I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.

  2. Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.

  3. Love. The reason I dislike that word is that it means too much for me, far more than you can understand."- Anna Karenina {Anna Karenina}

  4. I've always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be.

  5. They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us--there is no life.

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