Debashis Gupta

“To the question of what causes historic events another answer presents itself, namely, that the course of human events is predetermined from on high—depends on the coincidence of the wills of all who take part in the events, and that a Napoleon's influence on the course of these events is purely external and fictitious.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

“To a herd of rams, the ram the herdsman drives each evening into a special enclosure to feed and that becomes twice as fat as the others must seem to be a genius. And it must appear an astonishing conjunction of genius with a whole series of extraordinary chances that this ram, who instead of getting into the general fold every evening goes into a special enclosure where there are oats—that this very ram, swelling with fat, is killed for meat.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

“War is not courtesy but the most horrible thing in life; and we ought to understand that and not play at war. We ought to accept this terrible necessity sternly and seriously. It all lies in that: get rid of falsehood and let war be war and not a game. As it is now, war is the favorite pastime of the idle and frivolous.”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

“mere subjects and can engage in petty quarrels about the superiority of our faiths until the end of time; a king, however, has a duty towards his people and must ensure that he supports the growth of all the faiths in his land.”
― Kalki, Ponniyin Selvan Book 2: Whirlwinds