Quotation
Last reviewed:
“There is nothing stronger than those two: patience and time, they will do it all.”
Leo Tolstoy · Moral and political thought · Modern · 1869
What does it mean?
Kutuzov argues that campaigns are won by waiting for the right moment rather than storming. Later in the novel he thinks 'Patience and time are my warriors.' The novel largely sides with him against generals who believe battles are decided by plans. A rival reading calls this a romance of passivity, and historians dispute how far the real Kutuzov waited by design.
Did Leo Tolstoy really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. Spoken by the character Kutuzov to Prince Andrew, checked against the Project Gutenberg text of the Maude translation. The popular form 'The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience' is another translation of the same speech. It is a character's line, not Tolstoy speaking in his own voice.
Where it comes from
War and Peace, Book 10, chapter 16 (tr. Louise and Aylmer Maude)
Approximate date: 1869.
How to use it
A project at work that keeps failing under pressure might need a slower, steadier approach. It might also need a decision now. The line says waiting can be strength; it does not tell you which case you are in.
A mindset reading
This is a character, not the author. Quoting a novel as if every speech were the novelist's opinion is a common slip.
Understand the philosophy
War and Peace, Book 10, chapter 16, in the Maude translation; Books 13 and 15 return to the motto. It fits the novel's wider argument that history is not made by the will of great men.
- change
- power
- knowledge
FAQ
What does it mean?
Kutuzov argues that campaigns are won by waiting for the right moment rather than storming. Later in the novel he thinks 'Patience and time are my warriors.' The novel largely sides with him against generals who believe battles are decided by plans. A rival reading calls this a romance of passivity, and historians dispute how far the real Kutuzov waited by design.
Did Leo Tolstoy really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. Spoken by the character Kutuzov to Prince Andrew, checked against the Project Gutenberg text of the Maude translation. The popular form 'The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience' is another translation of the same speech. It is a character's line, not Tolstoy speaking in his own voice.
Which work is it in?
War and Peace, Book 10, chapter 16 (tr. Louise and Aylmer Maude) Approximate date: 1869.