“One's writing is good only when the intelligence and the imagination are in equilibrium. As soon as one of them overbalances the other, it's all up; you may as well throw it away and begin afresh.”

Russian novelist and philosopher of the 19th century, Tolstoy is best known for his monumental works *War and Peace* and *Anna Karenina*, which explore moral and social questions with psychological depth. His later years were devoted to ethical and religious writings, advocating for nonviolence and a return to simple living.