The Kingdom of God Is Within You

«The Kingdom of God Is Within You» — a religious and philosophical treatise by L. N. Tolstoy, written between 1890 and 1893, is one of the key works for understanding his position on «non-resistance». After experiencing a painful spiritual crisis in the late 1870s, in an effort to find reliable moral foundations, Tolstoy sought the true path to God.

By taking the words of the Gospel as the title of his book and addressing it to the broadest audience of readers, Tolstoy raises profound questions about human existence and states that the establishment of Christ's kingdom on Earth depends primarily on the people themselves. Circulating in copies and manuscripts, the treatise «The Kingdom of God Is Within You» had a significant impact on his contemporaries. The artist I. E. Repin called it «a thing of terrifying power», while the critic V. V. Stasov referred to it as «the first book» of the 19th century.