- Confident, enterprising, strong, natural leader
- Madly in love with Anna, throws his life, career, relationships away for her to be with her
- Military man
- Building that hospital on his family’s incredibly luxurious estate
- “must have occupation”
- Wrestles internally with ambition vs love, but love triumphs
- At end, volunteers his life to fight in the war with the Slavs, with his own money paying for his company
- Races horses (that amazing scene)
Vronsky’s life was particularly happy in that he had a code of principles, which defined with unfailing certitude what he ought and what he ought not to do. This code of principles covered only a very small circle of contingencies, but then the principles were never doubtful, and Vronsky, as he never went outside that circle, had never had a moment’s hesitation about doing what he ought to do. These principles laid down as invariable rules: that one must pay a cardsharper, but need not pay a tailor; that one must never tell a lie to a man, but one may to a woman; that one must never cheat anyone, but one may a husband; that one must never pardon an insult, but one may give one and so on. These principles were possibly not reasonable and not good, but they were of unfailing certainty, and so long as he adhered to them, Vronsky felt that his heart was at peace and he could hold his head up.
Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina: Illustrated (The Evergreen Classics) (p. 313). Kindle Edition.
At that meeting Vronsky perceived that Golenishtchev had taken up a sort of lofty, intellectually liberal line, and was consequently disposed to look down upon Vronsky’s interests and calling in life. Hence Vronsky had met him with the chilling and haughty manner he so well knew how to assume, the meaning of which was: "You may like or dislike my way of life, that’s a matter of the most perfect indifference to me; you will have to treat me with respect if you want to know me."
Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina: Illustrated (The Evergreen Classics) (p. 464). Kindle Edition.