Meaning of "Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold." [closed]

Leo Tolstoy said,

Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.

Would love to know the exact implication that is indicated through the comparison with gold. Did he refer to the fact that too much gold makes us greedy and it is better to have less but pure gold? If so, how is it related to truth? I'd believe he meant that truth should not be murky, but I can't be sure in regard to the nature of comparison with gold.

Some insight would be helpful!

Solution 1:

The simile refers to the way that gold is mined by panning. In a gold mine, the gold nuggets are mixed with soil. The soil is put into a pan, which is then washed with water. This causes the different constituent materials to separate, and the gold is extracted.

Similarly, you can obtain truth from a mixture of information by washing away all the obvious falsehoods.

Solution 2:

What Tolstoy meant was that you get truth by removing everything from it that is not truth. You obtain elements (including gold) from the earth the same way, by washing away everything clumped to it that is not what you seek.

I don't have any sources for this -- it seems plain by sheer reason.