Three Questions

Three Questions is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy and first published in 1903.

The story follows a king who believes he will never fail if he can discover the answers to three important questions: What is the right time to begin something? Who are the most important people to listen to? And what is the most important thing to do?

After receiving many different answers from learned men, the king visits a wise hermit. Through a series of unexpected events, including helping the hermit and caring for a wounded stranger, he gradually learns the answers through his own actions rather than through abstract advice.

Tolstoy's story teaches that the most important time is the present moment, the most important person is the one you are with, and the most important task is to do good for others. It is a simple moral tale about compassion, attention, and living meaningfully in the present.

"It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake."

The English translation was made by Louise and Aylmer Maude, two of the best-known translators of Tolstoy's works into English.