which　was　agreeable　to　me；　and　by　which　I　was　called　upon　to　serve
  the　people。　　I　had；　in　fact；　asked　myself：　　〃In　what　manner　could　I；
  so　very　fine　a　writer；　who　had　acquired　so　much　learning　and
  talents；　make　use　of　them　for　the　benefit　of　the　people？〃
  But　the　question　should　have　been　put　as　it　would　have　stood　for　a
  learned　rabbi　who　had　gone　through　the　course　of　the　Talmud；　and　had
  learned　by　heart　the　number　of　letters　in　all　the　holy　books；　and
  all　the　fine　points　of　his　art。　　The　question　for　me；　as　for　the
  rabbi；　should　stand　thus：　　〃What　am　I；　who　have　spent；　owing　to　the
  misfortune　of　my　surroundings；　the　year's　best　fitted　for　study　in
  the　acquisition　of　grammar；　geography；　judicial　science；　poetry；
  novels　and　romances；　the　French　language；　pianoforte　playing；
  philosophical　theories；　and　military　exercises；　instead　of　inuring
  myself　to　labor；　what　am　I；　who　have　passed　the　best　years　of　my
  life　in　idle　occupations　which　are　corrupting　to　the　soul；what　am
  I　to　do　in　defiance　of　these　unfortunate　conditions　of　the　past；　in
  order　that　I　may　requite　those　people　who　during　the　whole　time　have
  fed　and　clothed；　yes；　and　who　even　now　continue　to　feed　and　clothe
  me？〃　　Had　the　question　then　stood　as　it　stands　before　me　now；　after
  I　have　repented；〃What　am　I；　so　corrupt　a　man；　to　do？〃　the　answer
  would　have　been　easy：　　〃To　strive；　first　of　all；　to　support　myself
  honestly；　that　is；　to　learn　not　to　live　upon　others；　and　while　I　am
  learning；　and　when　I　have　learned　this；　to　render　aid　on　all
  possible　occasions　to　the　people；　with　my　hands；　and　my　feet；　and　my
  brain；　and　my　heart；　and　with　every　thing　to　which　the　people　should
  present　a　claim。〃
  And　therefore　I　say；　that　for　the　man　of　our　circle；　in　addition　to
  not　lying　to　himself　or　to　others；　repentance　is　also　necessary；　and
  that　he　should　scrape　from　himself　that　pride　which　has　sprung　up　in
  us；　in　our　culture；　in　our　refinements；　in　our　talents；　and　that　he
  should　confess　that　he　is　not　a　benefactor　of　the　people　and　a
  distinguished　man；　who　does　not　refuse　to　share　with　the　people　his
  useful　acquirements；　but　that　he　should　confess　himself　to　be　a
  thoroughly　guilty；　corrupt；　and　good…for…nothing　man；　who　desires　to
  reform　himself　and　not　to　behave　benevolently　towards　the　people；
  but　simply　to　cease　wounding　and　insulting　them。
  I　often　hear　the　questions　of　good　young　men　who　sympathize　with　the
  renunciatory　part　of　my　writings；　and　who　ask；　〃Well；　and　what　then
  shall　I　do？　　What　am　I　to　do；　now　that　I　have　finished　my　course　in
  the　university；　or　in　some　other　institution；　in　order　that　I　may　be
  of　use？〃　　Young　men　ask　this；　and　in　the　depths　of　their　soul　it　is
  already　decided　that　the　education　which　they　have　received
  constitutes　their　privilege　and　that　they　desire　to　serve　the　people
  precisely　by　means　of　thus　superiority。　　And　hence；　one　thing　which
  they　will　in　no　wise　do；　is　to　bear　themselves　honestly　and
  critically　towards　that　which　they　call　their　culture；　and　ask
  themselves；　are　those　qualities　which　they　call　their　culture　good
  or　bad？　　If　they　will　do　this；　they　will　infallibly　be　led　to　see
  the　necessity　of　renouncing　their　culture；　and　the　necessity　of
  beginning　to　learn　all　over　again；　and　this　is　the　one　indispensable
  thing。　　They　can　in　no　wise　solve　the　problem；　〃What　to　do？〃　because
  this　question　does　not　stand　before　them　as　it　should　stand。　　The
  question　must　stand　thus：　　〃In　what　manner　am　I；　a　helpless；　useless
  man；　who；　owing　to　the　misfortune　of　my　conditions；　have　wasted　my
  best　years　of　study　in　conning　the　scientific　Talmud　which　corrupts
  soul　and　body；　to　correct　this　mistake；　and　learn　to　serve　the
  people？〃　　But　it　presents　itself　to　them　thus：　　〃How　am　I；　a　man　who
  has　acquired　so　much　very　fine　learning；　to　turn　this　very　fine
  learning　to　the　use　of　the　people？〃　　And　such　a　man　will　never
  answer　the　question；　〃What　is　to　be　done？〃　until　he　repents。　　And
  repentance　is　not　terrible；　just　as　truth　is　not　terrible；　and　it　is
  equally　joyful　and　fruitful。　　It　is　only　necessary　to　accept　the
  truth　wholly；　and　to　repent　wholly；　in　order　to　understand　that　no
  one　possesses　any　rights；　privileges；　or　peculiarities　in　the　matter
  of　this　life　of　ours；　but　that　there　are　no　ends　or　bounds　to
  obligation；　and　that　a　man's　first　and　most　indubitable　duty　is　to
  take　part　in　the　struggle　with　nature　for　his　own　life　and　for　the
  lives　of　others。
  And　this　confession　of　a　man's　obligation　constitutes　the　gist　of
  the　third　answer　to　the　question；　〃What　is　to　be　done？〃
  I　tried　not　to　lie　to　myself：　　I　tried　to　cast　out　from　myself　the
  remains　of　my　false　conceptions　of　the　importance　of　my　education
  and　talents；　and　to　repent；　but　on　the　way　to　a　decision　of　the
  question；　〃What　to　do？〃　a　fresh　difficulty　arose。　　There　are　so　many
  different　occupations；　that　an　indication　was　necessary　as　to　the
  precise　one　which　was　to　be　adopted。　　And　the　answer　to　this
  question　was　furnished　me　by　sincere　repentance　for　the　evil　in
  which　I　had　lived。
  〃What　to　do？　　Precisely　what　to　do？〃　all　ask；　and　that　is　what　I
  also　asked　so　long　as；　under　the　influence　of　my　exalted　idea　of　any
  own　importance；　I　did　not　perceive　that　my　first　and　unquestionable
  duty　was　to　feed　myself；　to　clothe　myself；　to　furnish　my　own　fuel；
  to　do　my　own　building；　and；　by　so　doing；　to　serve　others；　because；
  ever　since　the　would　has　existed；　the　first　and　indubitable　duty　of
  every　man　has　consisted　and　does　consist　in　this。
  In　fact；　no　matter　what　a　man　may　have　assumed　to　be　his　vocation；
  whether　it　be　to　govern　people；　to　defend　his　fellow…countrymen；　to
  divine　service；　to　instruct　others；　to　invent　means　to　heighten　the
  pleasures　of　life；　to　discover　the　laws　of　the　world；　to　incorporate
  eternal　truths　in　artistic　representations；the　duty　of　a
  reasonable　man　is　to　take　part　in　the　struggle　with　nature；　for　the
  sustenance　of　his　own　life　and　of　that　of　others。　　This　obligation
  is　the　first　of　all；　because　what　people　need　most　of　all　is　their
  life；　and　therefore；　in　order　to　defend　and　instruct　the　people；　and
  render　their　lives　more　agreeable；　it　is　requisite　to　preserve　that
  life　itself；　while　my　refusal　to　share　in　the　struggle；　my　monopoly
  of　the　labors　of　others；　is　equivalent　to　annihilation　of　the　lives
  of　others。　　And；　therefore；　it　is　not　rational　to　serve　the　lives　of
  men　by　annihilating　the　lives　of　men；　and　it　is　impossible　to　say
  that　I　am　serving　men；　when；　by　my　life；　I　am　obviously　injuring
  them。
  A　man's　obligation　to　struggle　with　nature　for　the　acquisition　of
  the　means　of　livelihood　will　always　be　the　first　and　most
  unquestionable　of　all　obligations；　because　this　obligation　is　a　law
  of　life；　departure　from　which　entails　the　inevitable　punishment　of
  either　bodily　or　mental　annihilation　of　the　life　of　man。　　If　a　man
  living　alone　excuses　himself　from　the　obligation　of　struggling　with
  nature；　he　is　immediately　punished；　in　that　his　body　perishes。　　But
  if　a　man　excuses　himself　from　this　obligation　by　making　other　people
  fulfil　it　for　him；　then　also　he　is　immediately　punished　by　the
  annihilation　of　his　mental　life；　that　is　to　say；　of　the　life　which
  possesses　rational　thought。
  In　this　one　act；　man　receivesif　the　two　things　are　to　be
  separatedfull　satisfaction　of　the　bodily　and　spiritual　demands　of
  his　nature。　　The　feeding；　clothing；　and　taking　care　of　himself　and
  his　family；　constitute　the　satisfaction　of　the　bodily　demands　and
  requirements；　and　doing　the　same　for　other　people；　constitutes　the
  satisfaction　of　his　spiritual　requirements。　　Every　other　employment
  of　man　is　only　legal　when　it　is　directed　to　the　satisfaction　of　this
  very　first　duty　of　man；　for　the　fulfilment　of　this　duty　constitutes
  the　whole　life　of　man。
  I　had　been　so　turned　about　by　my　previous　life；　this　first　and
  indubitable　law　of　God　or　of　nature　is　so　concealed　in　our　sphere　of
  society；　that　the　fulfilment　of　this　law　seemed　to　me　strange；
  terrible；　even　shameful；　as　though　the　fulfilment　of　an　eternal；
  unquestionable　law；　and　not　the　departure　from　it；　can　be　terrible；
  strange；　and　shameful。
  At　first　it　seemed　to　me　that　the　fulfilment　of　this　matter　required
  some　preparation；　arrangement　or　community　of　men；　holding　similar
  views；the　consent　of　one's　family；　life　in　the　country；　it　seemed
  to　me　disgraceful　to　make　a　show　of　myself　before　people；　to
  undertake　a　thing　so　improper　in　our　conditions　of　existence；　as
  bodily　toil；　and　I　did　not　know　how　to　set　about　it。　　But　it　was
  only　necessary　for　me　to　understand　that　this　is　no　exclusive
  occupation　which　requires　to　be　invented　and　arranged　for；　but　that
  this　employment　was　merely　a　return　from　the　false　position　in　which
  I　found　myself；　to　a　natural　one；　was　only　a　rectification　of　that
  lie　in　which　I　was　living。　　I　had　only　to　recognize　this　fact；　and
  all　these　difficulties　vanished。　　It　was　not　in　the　least　necessary
  to　make　preparations　and　arrangements；　and　to　await　the　consent　of
  others；　for；　no　matter　in　what　position　I　had　found　myself；　there
  had　always　been　people　who　had　fed；　clothed　and　warmed　me；　in
  addition　to　themselves；　and　everywhere；　under　all　conditions；　I
  could　do　the　same　for　myself　and　for　them；　if