The great Russian writer had everything to live for. His novel, War and Peace, was said to be one of the greatest novels ever written, making the young writer world famous and very rich. His young wife gave him thirteen children, but for Leo Tolstoy something was still missing.

The story of his hunt for meaning in life, which almost ended in him killing himself, is told with powerful and moving honesty in A Confession, written from 1878- 1879. Tolstoy turned to the writings of church experts, philosophers, and scientists but failed to find what he was looking for there. But he found answers that helped to fill his hunger in the lives of the poor workers on the farms of Russia.

Tolstoy next turned to the Bible, especially the New Testament, and in the teachings of Jesus he believed that he found the answer to his questions. His clear thinking about the teachings of Jesus ended in him teaching people to stop following religion and start following Jesus for themselves. He was kicked out of the church in Russia for teaching this.

His teachings in What I Believe, moved many people to change their lives. One of them was a young Indian lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi.