Leo Tolstoy spent the last decade of his life collecting the wisdom of the ages from across the whole gamut of history, religions and cultures in search of a practical philosophy of life. He arranged his selections, along with his own thoughts, by topic (knowledge, faith, truth, self-perfection, humility, etc.) into short daily readings. The result is the Circle of Reading (1906), which, together with For Every Day (1909) and The Path of Life (1911)—all variations on the same theme—occupied him until his death in 1910.

This new translation of the Circle of Reading is available free to read online and as a daily newsletter. Pick a date from the calendar below to begin reading.