Summary
Prince Andrew returns to Petersburg and immediately gets caught up in the exhausting social whirlwind of city life. He's so busy with appointments and small talk that he stops thinking original thoughts, just recycling the same ideas he developed during his quiet time in the country. Then he meets Speransky, a government reformer who seems to have everything Andrew wishes he could be: brilliant, logical, powerful, and completely rational about everything. Speransky flatters Andrew by treating him as an intellectual equal, using phrases like 'we understand what they cannot' that make Andrew feel special and chosen. Andrew is so impressed that he agrees to everything Speransky says, even though something feels off. Speransky's cold, mirror-like eyes and delicate hands unnerve Andrew, and he notices how Speransky jumps between different types of arguments to win points, showing contempt for anyone who disagrees. What really attracts Andrew is Speransky's absolute confidence that reason can solve everything - he never seems to doubt himself or wonder if his ideas might be wrong. Andrew admires this quality because he himself is always questioning and doubting. The chapter ends with Andrew joining Speransky's legal reform committee, diving headfirst into work that will reshape Russian law. This chapter shows how we can be seduced by people who appear to have complete confidence and clarity, especially when we're feeling lost ourselves.
Coming Up in Chapter 113
Andrew throws himself into his new role as a legal reformer, but the intoxication of being close to power begins to reveal its true cost. Meanwhile, the social world of Petersburg continues to spin around him with its own dangerous attractions.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
During the first weeks of his stay in Petersburg Prince Andrew felt the whole trend of thought he had formed during his life of seclusion quite overshadowed by the trifling cares that engrossed him in that city. On returning home in the evening he would jot down in his notebook four or five necessary calls or appointments for certain hours. The mechanism of life, the arrangement of the day so as to be in time everywhere, absorbed the greater part of his vital energy. He did nothing, did not even think or find time to think, but only talked, and talked successfully, of what he had thought while in the country. He sometimes noticed with dissatisfaction that he repeated the same remark on the same day in different circles. But he was so busy for whole days together that he had no time to notice that he was thinking of nothing. As he had done on their first meeting at Kochubéy’s, Speránski produced a strong impression on Prince Andrew on the Wednesday, when he received him tête-à-tête at his own house and talked to him long and confidentially. To Bolkónski so many people appeared contemptible and insignificant creatures, and he so longed to find in someone the living ideal of that perfection toward which he strove, that he readily believed that in Speránski he had found this ideal of a perfectly rational and virtuous man. Had Speránski sprung from the same class as himself and possessed the same breeding and traditions, Bolkónski would soon have discovered his weak, human, unheroic sides; but as it was, Speránski’s strange and logical turn of mind inspired him with respect all the more because he did not quite understand him. Moreover, Speránski, either because he appreciated the other’s capacity or because he considered it necessary to win him to his side, showed off his dispassionate calm reasonableness before Prince Andrew and flattered him with that subtle flattery which goes hand in hand with self-assurance and consists in a tacit assumption that one’s companion is the only man besides oneself capable of understanding the folly of the rest of mankind and the reasonableness and profundity of one’s own ideas. During their long conversation on Wednesday evening, Speránski more than once remarked: “We regard everything that is above the common level of rooted custom...” or, with a smile: “But we want the wolves to be fed and the sheep to be safe...” or: “They cannot understand this...” and all in a way that seemed to say: “We, you and I, understand what they are and who we are.” This first long conversation with Speránski only strengthened in Prince Andrew the feeling he had experienced toward him at their first meeting. He saw in him a remarkable, clear-thinking man of vast intellect who by his energy and persistence had attained power, which he was using solely for the welfare of Russia. In Prince Andrew’s eyes Speránski was the man he would himself have wished to be—one who...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Borrowed Brilliance
We become dangerously attracted to people who display absolute confidence when we're feeling lost or inadequate ourselves.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when we're drawn to someone's confidence rather than their actual wisdom.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel magnetically drawn to someone's certainty—ask yourself what you're doubting about yourself that makes their confidence so appealing.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Petersburg society
The elite social circles of Russia's capital city, where nobles gathered to network, gossip, and advance their careers. It was a world of endless appointments, dinner parties, and political maneuvering where appearance mattered more than substance.
Modern Usage:
Like today's Washington D.C. or Silicon Valley networking scene - everyone's always 'busy' but not necessarily productive.
Tête-à-tête
A private, one-on-one conversation, literally meaning 'head-to-head' in French. In aristocratic society, being invited for a private meeting was a sign of trust and importance.
Modern Usage:
When your boss asks you to stay after the meeting for a 'quick chat' - it means you're getting special attention.
Government reformer
Someone working to change how the government operates, usually to make it more efficient or fair. In Tolstoy's time, Russia desperately needed legal and administrative reforms to modernize.
Modern Usage:
Like politicians who promise to 'drain the swamp' or 'disrupt the system' - they appeal to people frustrated with how things work.
Rational virtue
The belief that pure logic and reason can solve all human problems and create perfect moral behavior. This Enlightenment idea suggested emotions and traditions were obstacles to progress.
Modern Usage:
Like tech bros who think algorithms can solve poverty or dating apps can perfect relationships - pure logic without human messiness.
Social mirroring
When someone reflects back your own ideas and values to make you feel understood and special. It's a powerful way to build instant connection and influence.
Modern Usage:
When someone on a first date suddenly shares all your interests, or a salesperson agrees with everything you say.
Intellectual flattery
Praising someone's intelligence or insight to make them feel superior to others. It works especially well on people who pride themselves on being smart or different.
Modern Usage:
Like when someone says 'You're the only one who really gets it' or 'Most people can't think at our level.'
Characters in This Chapter
Prince Andrew
Protagonist seeking purpose
Gets overwhelmed by Petersburg's busy social scene and loses his ability to think clearly. He's desperately searching for someone to admire and guide him, making him vulnerable to Speransky's influence.
Modern Equivalent:
The burned-out professional looking for a mentor or guru to give their life meaning
Speransky
Charismatic manipulator
A brilliant government official who impresses Andrew with his confidence and intellect. He uses flattery and exclusivity to make Andrew feel special, while showing cold contempt for anyone who disagrees with him.
Modern Equivalent:
The charismatic CEO or thought leader who makes you feel chosen while subtly putting down everyone else
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The mechanism of life, the arrangement of the day so as to be in time everywhere, absorbed the greater part of his vital energy."
Context: Describing how Andrew gets caught up in Petersburg's social demands
This shows how busy-ness can become a trap that prevents real thinking or growth. Andrew is so focused on managing his schedule that he stops developing as a person.
In Today's Words:
He was so busy trying to keep up with everything that he had no energy left for what actually mattered.
"He sometimes noticed with dissatisfaction that he repeated the same remark on the same day in different circles."
Context: Andrew realizes he's just recycling old thoughts instead of thinking new ones
This captures how social pressure can make us perform our ideas rather than develop them. Andrew has become a broken record of his former insights.
In Today's Words:
He caught himself giving the same speech to different groups and felt like a fraud.
"He so longed to find in someone the living ideal of that perfection toward which he strove, that he readily believed that in Speransky he had found this ideal."
Context: Explaining why Andrew is so drawn to Speransky
This reveals Andrew's dangerous need for a perfect role model. When we're desperate for guidance, we're more likely to idealize flawed people and ignore red flags.
In Today's Words:
He wanted a hero so badly that he convinced himself he'd found one.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Andrew loses his authentic self in the city's social whirlwind, recycling ideas instead of thinking originally
Development
Building on earlier themes of Andrew's search for meaning and purpose
In Your Life:
You might notice yourself becoming a different person in certain environments, losing your authentic voice
Power
In This Chapter
Speransky wields intellectual power through confidence and flattery, making others feel special while maintaining control
Development
Expanding the book's exploration of how different types of power operate in society
In Your Life:
You might encounter bosses or leaders who use intellectual superiority to manipulate rather than genuinely lead
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Petersburg society demands constant performance and small talk, preventing genuine thought or connection
Development
Continuing the theme of how social pressures shape behavior and authentic expression
In Your Life:
You might feel exhausted by social situations that require you to perform rather than be yourself
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Andrew's attraction to Speransky reveals his own insecurities and desire for certainty over wisdom
Development
Part of Andrew's ongoing journey of self-discovery and understanding what truly matters
In Your Life:
You might find yourself drawn to people who seem to have all the answers when you're questioning your own path
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific changes does Andrew notice in himself when he returns to Petersburg city life, and how does meeting Speransky affect him?
analysis • surface - 2
Why is Andrew so drawn to Speransky despite noticing unsettling details like his cold eyes and contempt for others?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this pattern of being attracted to someone's absolute confidence, even when red flags were present?
application • medium - 4
How can you tell the difference between someone who's genuinely wise and someone who's just very confident?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about why we sometimes ignore our instincts when we're feeling lost or inadequate?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Confidence Attraction
Think of someone in your life who radiates confidence and whose opinions you find yourself automatically agreeing with. Write down what specifically draws you to them, then list any small details that make you uncomfortable or doubtful. Finally, identify what you might be questioning about yourself that makes their certainty so appealing.
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between confidence and arrogance
- •Pay attention to how they treat people who disagree with them
- •Consider what vulnerability in yourself their confidence seems to fill
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you followed someone's confident lead and later regretted it. What warning signs did you ignore, and what would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 113: When Organizations Lose Their Way
What lies ahead teaches us to recognize when a group's actions don't match its stated values, and shows us idealistic movements often attract people with mixed motives. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.