The Wisdom of Children (Tolstoy)
Short summary
Through twenty-one dialogues, children engage adults in conversations about fundamental social institutions and beliefs. In each exchange, young questioners expose contradictions in adult reasoning through innocent yet penetrating inquiries.
When a boy asks his mother about Christ's ascension to heaven, she cannot explain where heaven is or reconcile religious teachings with scientific knowledge. Children question why nations exist separately when unity would prevent wars. A soldier cannot justify why he must fight for causes he doesn't understand, while a bailiff struggles to explain why the poor must pay taxes to the rich Tsar.
During a discussion about executions, a young boy challenges the adults' justification for capital punishment.
But isn't it written in the Ten Commandments: 'Thou shalt not kill'? Doesn't that mean you are not to kill at all?... But isn't it written in the Gospel that we must love and forgive everybody?
Similar contradictions emerge throughout: prisons that teach criminals to be worse, newspapers that spread conflicting truths, art valued at millions while people starve, and schools forcing children to learn subjects they find meaningless. In dialogue after dialogue, children propose simple solutions—sharing wealth equally, settling disputes by lot, allowing only willing students to learn—that adults dismiss as naive impossibilities. The collection reveals how children's straightforward moral clarity challenges the complex justifications adults create for unjust systems.
Detailed summary
On Religion
A young boy questioned his mother about religious beliefs when she dressed him for church on Ascension day. When she explained that Jesus Christ flew to heaven, the boy asked logical questions about how this was possible without wings and where exactly heaven was located.
But how am I to know what is nonsense and what is not?... Which is the true faith, then?... Our faith is the true one. I am afraid I am talking nonsense.
On War
Three children discussed war and nationalism. When the boys explained that different nations must fight to protect their land, eight-year-old Masha questioned why nations needed to exist separately at all.
But why must each state stand by itself?... Wouldn't it be better if they all kept together?... Then I don't want to grow up.
On State and Fatherland
A soldier named Gavrila explained to young Misha that he was being called to war against his will. When the boy asked why he didn't simply refuse to go, Gavrila explained the chain of authority and obedience that compelled him to serve.
Why will they take you by force if they are in the same position?... But suppose they don't want to?... They have to obey... But why?
On Taxes
A bailiff came to collect overdue taxes from a poor family, threatening to take their cow. Seven-year-old Grushka challenged him, asking why the wealthy Tsar needed money from poor people and how taking their cow could possibly benefit them.
Why does he want us to give him money?... How does it benefit us if our cow is taken away? There's no good in that... You can do whatever you and the Tsar want.
On Judging
Three children discussed how adults called each other fools behind their backs. Six-year-old Sonia observed that anyone who calls another person a fool is themselves a fool, leading to a circular argument about judgment and name-calling.
On Kindness
After witnessing their mother's generosity to a poor beggar woman, Masha and Misha discussed the importance of kindness. Inspired by the biblical teaching about sharing coats, Misha declared his intention to give away everything when he grew up and wrote himself a reminder note.
Oh, when I am grown up I will give away everything I have... We must always be kind. Then the whole world will be happy... We Must Be Kind.
On Renumeration of Labour
When their father couldn't fix their broken sledge, Katia and Fedia questioned why their family couldn't do practical work while others did everything for them. Eight-year-old Fedia wondered if it was possible to learn useful skills like cooking and harnessing horses while still being kind.
But isn't it possible to do the cooking and harness horses, and be kind just the same? Isn't that possible?... And what if I don't grow up?
On Drink
Children discussed the problem of alcoholism when Makarka and Marfutka fled their home because their father was drunk and violent. Eight-year-old Marfutka wished she could stop people from selling alcohol to prevent such suffering. The next day, Makarka asked his schoolmaster about the alcohol trade and learned that the state profited from alcohol sales.
If I was the Tsar, I would have the people who give him any drink just beaten to death... But it is the Tsar himself who sells it... for fear it would lessen his own profits.
The schoolmaster explained that alcohol revenue funded the army and schools, but Makarka questioned why money couldn't be collected directly for necessary things instead of through alcohol sales that caused so much harm to families.
On Capital Punishment
Two adults debated the merits of capital punishment and martial law while nine-year-old Fedia listened. The prosecutor argued that executions were necessary to deter crime and protect society, while the professor opposed frequent executions under special courts martial. When Fedia joined the conversation, he pointed out the contradiction between the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' and state-sanctioned executions.
The adults tried to explain when killing might be permissible, such as in war or punishing great villains, but Fedia questioned why the Gospel's teachings about love and forgiveness couldn't be followed instead. His father dismissed this as impossible, unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for why Christian principles couldn't guide society.
On Prisons
Children discussed the imprisonment of a horse thief whose family was left destitute. While some felt he deserved punishment, others questioned why his innocent children should suffer. They debated whether prison actually reformed criminals or simply provided them with food and shelter while teaching them to be worse thieves through contact with other criminals.
Nine-year-old Palashka suggested that if she were queen, she would arrange things so that nobody would steal and children wouldn't cry by ensuring everyone had what they needed and nobody was wronged. The other children mocked her idealistic solution, but she insisted she would find a way to make everyone happy.
On Wealth
A wealthy landlord encountered a beggar asking for help, claiming to be unemployed and hungry. The landlord lectured him about the value of work, saying that those who work never remain poor. However, six-year-old Vasia observed the contradiction in his father's logic, pointing out that their family was very rich despite not working.
When his father claimed to work by providing for the family's needs, Vasia wondered why the beggar, who also had to provide for his family, remained so miserable while they were wealthy. The parents dismissed their son's questions as those of a 'self-made socialist,' unable to address his innocent observations about social inequality.
On Those Who Offend You
Eight-year-old Vania told his sister about his desire to practice the Christian teaching of loving those who hurt you. Inspired by their uncle's story about a man who responded to insults with kindness, Vania had kissed a boy who hit him and felt tremendous happiness. He wished for more opportunities to practice this virtue, though his sister thought him foolish.
On the Press
Children observed bundles of newspapers being delivered and learned there were hundreds of publications in Russia alone. Eight-year-old Misha questioned the purpose of writing so much, reasoning that if the content was true, there was no need to repeat it endlessly, and if false, why write it at all.
When his brother explained that press freedom helped people find truth, Misha pointed out the contradiction: if their father said one newspaper contained truth while their uncle said another made him ill, how could anyone determine where truth actually lay? He concluded that if everyone had brains to reason, they shouldn't need so many publications to tell them what to think.
On Repentance
Eight-year-old Volia accidentally ate a cake meant for the nurse and was devastated by his mistake. His brother Fedia found him crying and suggested he confess to the nurse, who forgave him kindly. However, Volia continued crying not because he feared punishment, but because he felt ashamed of being wicked, demonstrating genuine remorse beyond fear of consequences.
The incident revealed the difference between external forgiveness and internal guilt, showing how true repentance involves self-judgment rather than merely seeking absolution from others.
On Art
Servants discussed the enormous sums paid to opera singers and musicians, with one footman describing the artificial singing he witnessed at the theater. They learned that a pianist's fingernail was insured for fifty thousand rubles and a dancer's foot for two hundred thousand rubles, leading to debates about the value of such entertainment.
Pavel, a working man, questioned whether such performances constituted real work, arguing that people with easy lives created these frivolous entertainments while others bent their backs to make a living. A schoolboy defended art as requiring years of study, but Pavel dismissed it as worthless compared to productive labor.
The conversation highlighted the tension between artistic achievement and practical necessity, with working people questioning the social value of expensive entertainment while the educated classes defended cultural refinement.
On Science
Two schoolboys debated the value of classical versus scientific education. The science student questioned the usefulness of Latin and Greek, while the classical student defended ancient literature. Eight-year-old twins Volodia and Petrusha listened and asked which science taught people to be good.
When told that schools didn't teach how to be good and that everyone must discover this for themselves, the children concluded there was no point in attending school if the most important knowledge wasn't taught there. They declared they would focus on living rightly rather than learning useless subjects.
On Going to Law
A peasant returned from court after losing a lawsuit over his vegetable garden, having spent more money on legal fees than the garden was worth. His nine-year-old son Petka suggested that disputes should be settled by casting lots, as he and his friend did, rather than asking judges who didn't know who was right.
The adults acknowledged the wisdom in the child's simple solution, recognizing that their expensive legal battle had caused more harm than the original dispute and represented a sinful waste of resources.
On the Criminal Court
Children discussed the imprisonment of someone who may have been innocent, questioning the chain of authority in the justice system. They wondered who would punish judges who made mistakes, learning that higher authorities judged lower ones, ultimately leading to God as the final judge.
On Property
A seven-year-old boy watched an old carpenter repair their veranda and learned about economic inequality. The carpenter explained that while he could work skillfully for others, he couldn't afford materials for his own home repairs. The boy was puzzled that vast forests existed nearby but didn't belong to those who needed the wood.
When I grow up I shall arrange to have just the same as everybody else, so that all of us are equal... Mind you grow up quickly, that I may still be alive. Then, mind you, don't forget.
The carpenter humorously encouraged the boy's idealistic promise to create equality, hoping to live long enough to see such changes implemented.
On Children
A lady agreed to be godmother to a poor woman's seventh child, despite the family's desperate poverty. The grandmother complained about having too many mouths to feed while others grieved for having no children at all. Five-year-old Janichka questioned why children couldn't come only to those who wanted them.
The child's innocent questions about marriage and childbearing revealed the tragedy of unwanted children born into poverty while others longed for families. Her mother reflected that if people understood marriage as a responsibility toward children rather than personal amusement, such suffering could be prevented.
On Education
Fifteen-year-old Nicholas rebelled against school, declaring he couldn't learn geography and would rather work as a coachman or porter than continue his studies. His mother insisted he must receive an education befitting his social class, while seven-year-old Katia supported her brother's right to choose his own path.
Katia declared she would never force her future children to learn against their will, believing they should study only what they chose. When her mother warned she would grow up foolish, Katia replied that God wanted fools too, challenging the assumption that formal education was necessary for all children regardless of their individual natures and desires.