What Men Live By, and Other Tales

by Leo Tolstoy

"What Men Live By, and Other Tales" by Leo Tolstoy is a collection of short stories published in 1885. The title story follows Simon, a poor shoemaker who encounters a mysterious naked stranger near a chapel. Despite his own poverty, Simon brings the man home, naming him Michael and employing him as an assistant. As years pass, Michael displays strange behavior—smiling at peculiar moments and seeming to know things before they happen. The collection explores profound questions about human existence, compassion, and divine purpose.