Selections from "The Pathway of Life" by Leo Tolstoy (vegetarian): Volume 1, God, Part 2 of 2

“Some say of God that He dwells in heaven. It is also said that He dwells in man. Both statements are true: He is in heaven, that is, in the limitless universe, and He is also in the soul of man.” “The more a man fulfills the will of God, the better he knows Him. If a man fails altogether to fulfill the will of God, he does not know Him at all, though he might affirm that he knew Him or pray to Him. Even as you must come closer to a thing in order to know it, so you may know God only if you draw nigh unto Him. And to draw nigh unto God it is possible only by good works. And the more a man accustoms himself to live a good life, the more closely he will know God. And the better he knows God, the better he will love his fellowmen. One thing leads to the other. …that we must fulfill the God given law in our own life, and that our life becomes better to the extent that we fulfill His law.” “My spiritual ‘I’ is no kinsman to my body, therefore it is in my body not of its own volition, but in accordance with some higher will. This higher will is what we understand as God and call God. God is neither to be worshipped, nor praised. One can only be silent about Him and serve Him. As long as a man sings and shouts and repeats in the presence of others: ‘Lord, Lord,’ know that he has not found God. He who has found Him maintains silence.”