How did Leo Tolstoy explain nonresistance to evil?

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Portrait of Leo Tolstoy with a long white beard, wearing a dark shirt and looking slightly to the side. — Leo Tolstoy Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest novelists. His masterpieces are *War and Peace* (1865–69) and *Anna Karenina* (1875–77).

Leo Tolstoy developed his doctrine of nonresistance to evil as a central tenet of his interpretation of Christianity, specifically derived from the Sermon on the Mount.1

For Tolstoy, the principle of nonresistance did not imply that evil should be accepted or ignored. Rather, he argued that evil cannot be effectively countered through the use of further evil, particularly through violence. Because he believed that governments fundamentally rely on the threat of force to maintain order and enforce laws, his commitment to nonviolence led him to adopt pacifist and anarchist views.1

Consequently, he urged his followers to abstain from participating in systems that utilize violence, including refusing military service, avoiding voting, and refraining from using the courts. This philosophy, which profoundly influenced Mahatma Gandhi, represented Tolstoy's attempt to align his life with the moral teachings he identified in the life of Jesus.1