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Aristotle

Philosopher

Aristotle was one of history’s most influential philosophers, whose ideas shaped Western thought in ethics, science, and politics. His teachings emphasize reason, virtue, and the pursuit of a balanced life grounded in wisdom. The following quotes capture Aristotle’s enduring insights into character, knowledge, and the foundations of a meaningful life.

With the truth, all given facts harmonize; but with what is false, the truth soon hits a wrong note.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.
The secret to humor is surprise.
Philosophy can make people sick.
From Nicomachean Ethics
It is well said, then, that it is by doing just acts that the just man is produced, and by doing temperate acts the temperate man; without doing these no one would have even a prospect of becoming good.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
Any polis which is truly so called, and is not merely one in name, must devote itself to the end of encouraging goodness. Otherwise, political association sinks into a mere alliance.
A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.
Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.
All men by nature desire to know.
From Metaphysics
We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
The most hated sort, and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself, and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest. And this term interest, which means the birth of money from money, is applied to the breeding of money because the offspring resembles the parent. Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth this is the most unnatural.
From Politics
Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.
Wit is educated insolence.
Freedom is obedience to self-formulated rules.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
The distinction between historian and poet is not in the one writing prose and the other verse — you might put the work of Herodotus into verse, and it would still be a species of history; it consists really in this, that the one describes the thing that has been, and the other a kind of thing that might be.
From Poetics
Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.
It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
I have gained this by philosophy; I do without being ordered what some are constrained to do by their fear of the law.
It is impossible, or not easy, to alter by argument what has long been absorbed by habit
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
With the truth, all given facts harmonize; but with what is false, the truth soon hits a wrong note.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.
The secret to humor is surprise.
Philosophy can make people sick.
From Nicomachean Ethics
It is well said, then, that it is by doing just acts that the just man is produced, and by doing temperate acts the temperate man; without doing these no one would have even a prospect of becoming good.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
Any polis which is truly so called, and is not merely one in name, must devote itself to the end of encouraging goodness. Otherwise, political association sinks into a mere alliance.
A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.
Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.
All men by nature desire to know.
From Metaphysics
We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
The most hated sort, and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself, and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest. And this term interest, which means the birth of money from money, is applied to the breeding of money because the offspring resembles the parent. Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth this is the most unnatural.
From Politics
Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.
Wit is educated insolence.
Freedom is obedience to self-formulated rules.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
The distinction between historian and poet is not in the one writing prose and the other verse — you might put the work of Herodotus into verse, and it would still be a species of history; it consists really in this, that the one describes the thing that has been, and the other a kind of thing that might be.
From Poetics
Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.
It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
I have gained this by philosophy; I do without being ordered what some are constrained to do by their fear of the law.
It is impossible, or not easy, to alter by argument what has long been absorbed by habit
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
With the truth, all given facts harmonize; but with what is false, the truth soon hits a wrong note.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.
The secret to humor is surprise.
Philosophy can make people sick.
From Nicomachean Ethics
It is well said, then, that it is by doing just acts that the just man is produced, and by doing temperate acts the temperate man; without doing these no one would have even a prospect of becoming good.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
Any polis which is truly so called, and is not merely one in name, must devote itself to the end of encouraging goodness. Otherwise, political association sinks into a mere alliance.
A friend is one soul abiding in two bodies.
Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.
All men by nature desire to know.
From Metaphysics
We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
The most hated sort, and with the greatest reason, is usury, which makes a gain out of money itself, and not from the natural object of it. For money was intended to be used in exchange, but not to increase at interest. And this term interest, which means the birth of money from money, is applied to the breeding of money because the offspring resembles the parent. Wherefore of all modes of getting wealth this is the most unnatural.
From Politics
Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.
Wit is educated insolence.
Freedom is obedience to self-formulated rules.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
The distinction between historian and poet is not in the one writing prose and the other verse — you might put the work of Herodotus into verse, and it would still be a species of history; it consists really in this, that the one describes the thing that has been, and the other a kind of thing that might be.
From Poetics
Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.
It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.
From The Nicomachean Ethics
I have gained this by philosophy; I do without being ordered what some are constrained to do by their fear of the law.
It is impossible, or not easy, to alter by argument what has long been absorbed by habit
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.