According to Dictionary.com, self-knowledge means "knowledge or understanding of oneself, one's character, abilities, motivations" (Dictionary.com). what a person has experienced and gained knowledge from. External knowledge works thanks to self-knowledge. In order for a reader to gain external knowledge, the writer must use his or her own self-knowledge. Just like Tolstoy did with their stories. They used their self-knowledge to give us insight into what they were writing about. Tolstoy grew up upper class. His understanding of what was happening gave him the self-knowledge needed to write a book. He wrote about Ivan Ilyich who died rich. Ivan worked until his death. Ivan worked so hard because he thought making money would make him and his wife grow