 Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was another type of hero to Addams. Unlike Carlyle, Tolstoy did not valorize individuals standing out from the crowd as exemplary moral paragons who wield socially ordained positions of power. Instead, he valued solidarity with the common laborer. Addams’ vast intellectual curiosity made such extremes in influences possible. Addams read Tolstoy’s works from the time she graduated from college until the last years of her life, and she often praised his writing in articles and book reviews. Tolstoy’s emphasis on working for and with the oppressed while writing novels and essays that influenced a wider audience resonated with Addams’ work and writings. However, Tolstoy was a moral idealist. He left everything behind to take up the plow and work as a typical farm laborer. Addams was moved by Tolstoy’s account, and—typical of her self-critical, thoughtful approach--she questioned her leadership role in the social settlement, but only for a short time.