Leo TolstoyClassics · Literary Fiction·1828–1910
The Emperor's Three Questions
Synopsis
First published in 1885, Leo Tolstoy's The Three Questions is one of his most enduring short parables. An emperor, certain that wisdom is a matter of having the right information, offers a reward to anyone who can answer three questions about how to live rightly. Dissatisfied with the learned replies of his court, he travels in disguise to a hermit famed for his wisdom — and learns the answers only by living through what the day brings him.
Tolstoy's fable delivers a simple, radiant moral philosophy: the only important time is now, the most important person is the one you are with, and the most important thing is to do that person good. Brief enough to read in minutes yet endlessly re-read, it has been retold and adapted many times, including in Jon J. Muth's picture book The Three Questions.
How it reads
Prose complexity 1/10
Genres
Characters
The HermitSupporting
A wise old man who answers the emperor's questions not with words but through a day's events.
Frequently asked questions
Is this story part of a larger collection?
The story was originally published in 1885 as part of the collection titled What Men Live By, and Other Tales.
Are there other versions of this story available?
The parable has been adapted and retold by various authors, most notably in a 2002 picture book version by Jon J. Muth that reimagines the characters for a younger audience.
