Time Magazine named Einstein as the "Person of the Century." In popular culture, the name Einstein has become synonymous with great intelligence and even genius. But Einstein himself said that "Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time." He once said of Gandhi that "generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood." Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence has influenced national and international nonviolent resistance movements to this day. He has inspired freedom activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Stephen Biko, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela. But what is not widely known is that Gandhi did not believe in non-violent resistance until he read Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You. Gandhi said that this book "overwhelmed" him and "left an abiding impression."
Leo Tolstoy is most famous for War and Peace which is generally thought to be one of the greatest novels ever written. After a religious awakening, Tolstoy regarded it as a waste of time and devoted himself to his radical religious beliefs and a search for Truth. Many literary critics believe that Tolstoy went insane in his later years and produced nothing of value. Others argue that critics do not follow the depth of his understanding, which is evidenced by his influence on such great people in history as Gandhi and, therefore, Einstein and others. They argue that his later works have had a much more significant effect on the people of the world.
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