How Much Land Does a Man Need

Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote a short story about a rich man who was offered the real estate deal of a lifetime. For 1000 roubles he could have all the land he was able to walk around in a day. The only condition was that he had to make it back to his starting point by sunset or he would lose the lot. He rose early and set out. Walking on and on he kept thinking how good it would be if he could claim just a bit more land. Eventually, stopping for a rest, he realized that he had covered a lot of ground and that he would have to hurry to get back by sunset. The lower the sun fell in the sky, the faster the man walked and then ran. Just as the sun began to set he saw the starting point and drew on all his energy to surge forward. He ran hard for the line – then fell. The onlookers rushed to him. Blood oozed from his mouth. He was dead. His servant took out a spade, dug a hole and buried him. The title of Tolstoy’s story is: "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" Its last line reads: "Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed."

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