Tolstoy, after Rousseau, on Knowledge and Wisdom

“Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.”

The "Salad Bar" approach

Does anyone know who made this statement?

"When you go out for a meal served as a buffet you're given the invitation to serve yourself, perhaps a salad. There's quite a range of dishes to choose from according to your taste. There's quite a range of dishes to choose from according to your taste. This is fine for eating but it doesn't work in Christian terms. One of the reasons why there's spiritual poverty is that believers have taken the 'salad bar' approach to scripture. Can we really pick the teachings we're comfortable with and ignore the rest? The answer, of course, is 'no.' When we take the 'salad bar' approach to scripture to justify your own prejudices or personal comfort, the result is a stunted spiritual life."

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