Aristotle Quotes: Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, achieved such far-sighted and general results in the field of logic that the logic system he established was accepted and used until the nineteenth year.
Aristotle Quotes
‘“The most beautiful colors laid on at random, give less pleasure than a black-and-white drawing.”’
‘“Learning is not child’s play; we cannot learn without pain.”’
‘“Man is the metre of all things, the hand is the instrument of instruments, and the mind is the form of forms.”’
‘“Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god.”’
‘“Every realm of nature is marvelous.”’
‘“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”’
‘“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.”’
‘“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”’
‘“The many are more incorruptible than the few; they are like the greater quantity of water which is less easily corrupted than a little.”’
‘“Our problem is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low and hit.”’
‘“If the art of ship-building were in the wood, ships would exist by nature.”’
‘“Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”’
‘“Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth.”’
‘“He who is to be a good ruler must have first been ruled.”’
‘“All teaching and all intellectual learning come about from already existing knowledge.”’
‘“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”’
‘“A person’s life persuades better than his word.”’
‘“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”’
‘“Human beings are curious by nature.”’
‘“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”’
‘“It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws.”’
‘“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.”’
‘“I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.”’
‘“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”’
‘ “Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”’
‘“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”’
‘“It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.”’
‘“The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.”’
‘“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”’
‘“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.”’
‘“There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man.”’
‘“Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation.”’
‘“The best way to avoid envy is to deserve the success you get.”’
‘“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”’
‘“When you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer.”’
‘“Happiness is a state of activity.”’
‘“Our characters are the result of our conduct.”’
‘“Fortune favours the bold.”’
‘“Learning is an ornament in prosperity, a refuge in adversity, and a provision in old age.”’
‘“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”’
‘“Man is by nature a political animal.”’
‘“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies.”’
‘ “Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.”’
‘“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”’
‘“Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.”’
‘“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”’
‘“Nature does nothing uselessly.”’
‘“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.”’
‘“Greatness of spirit is accompanied by simplicity and sincerity.”’
‘“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”’
‘“Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.”’
‘“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”’
‘“Freedom is obedience to self-formulated rules.”’
‘“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.”’
‘“All communication must lead to change.”’
‘ “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.”’
‘“Courage is the first virtue that makes all other virtues possible.”’
‘“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”’
‘“Great men are always of a nature originally melancholy.”’
‘“Hope is a waking dream.”’
‘“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.”’
‘“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”’
‘“What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.”’
‘“Through discipline comes freedom.”’
‘ “The complete man must work, study and wrestle.”’
‘“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”’
‘“To appreciate the beauty of a snow flake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”’
‘“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”’
‘“Justice therefore demands that no one should do more ruling than being ruled, but that all should have their turn.”’
‘“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.”’
‘“The soul never thinks without a picture.”’
‘“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”’
‘“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.”’
‘“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”’
‘“Law is order, and good law is good order.”’
‘“The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.”’
‘“What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.”’
‘“The hardest victory is the victory over self.”’
‘“All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.”’
‘“Happiness belongs to the self sufficient.”’
‘“When the storytelling goes bad in a society, the result is decadence.”’
‘“Speech is the representation of the mind, and writing is the representation of speech.”’
‘“Equity is that idea of justice which contravenes the written law.”’
‘“The weak are always anxious for justice and equality. The strong pay no heed to either.”’
‘“Life is only meaningful when we are striving for a goal .”’
‘“The worst thing about slavery is that the slaves eventually get to like it.”’
‘“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”’
‘“True happiness comes from gaining insight and growing into your best possible self. Otherwise all you’re having is immediate gratification pleasure, which is fleeting and doesn’t grow you as a person.”’
‘“He who sees things grow from the beginning will have the best view of them.”’
‘“Happiness is the highest good.”’
‘“No democracy can exist unless each of its citizens is as capable of outrage at injustice to another as he is of outrage at unjustice to himself.”’
‘“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”’
‘“We give up leisure in order that we may have leisure, just as we go to war in order that we may have peace.”’
‘“The greatest of all pleasures is the pleasure of learning.”’
‘“Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.”’
‘“Health is a matter of choice, not a mystery of chance.”’
‘“The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.”’
‘“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of his life.”’
‘“Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.”’
‘“At the intersection where your gifts, talents, and abilities meet a human need; therein you will discover your purpose.”’
‘“Each human being is bred with a unique set of potentials that yearn to be fulfilled as surely as the acorn yearns to become the oak within it.”’
‘“There is nothing unequal as the equal treatment of unequals.”’
‘“95% of everything you do is the result of habit.”’
‘“That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.”’
‘“We are the sum of our actions, and therefore our habits make all the difference.”’
‘“Love is the cause of unity in all things.”’
‘“Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot.”’
‘“Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.”’
‘“Have a definite, clear, practical ideal – a goal, an objective.”’
‘“If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.”’
‘“The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is poverty and wealth. Wherever men rule by reason of their wealth, whether they be few or many, that is an oligarchy, and where the poor rule, that is a democracy.”’
‘“Greed has no boundaries.”’
‘“Character is determined by choice, not opinion.”’
‘“Fate of empires depends on the education of youth.”’
‘“Art completes what nature cannot bring to finish. The artist gives us knowledge of nature’s unrealized ends.”’
‘“To lead an orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd.”’
‘ “He is courageous who endures and fears the right thing, for the right motive, in the right way and at the right times.”’
‘“We become brave by doing brave acts.”’
‘“When there is no middle class, and the poor greatly exceed in number, troubles arise, and the state soon comes to an end.”’
‘“The fool tells me his reason; the wise man persuades me with my own.”’
‘“The ideal man takes joy in doing favors for others.”’
‘“Think as the wise men think, but talk like the simple people do.”’
‘“Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids.”’
‘“The intelligence consists not only in the knowledge but also in the skill to apply the knowledge into practice.”’
‘“The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.”’
‘“The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learned from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity of the dissimilar.”’
‘“No one loves the man whom he fears.”’
‘“It is a part of probability that many improbable things will happen.”’
‘“The soul is the form of the body.”’
‘“God has many names, though He is only one Being.”’
‘“The soul suffers when the body is diseased or traumatized, while the body suffers when the soul is ailing.”’
‘“The law is reason unaffected by desire.”’
‘“Man perfected by society is the best of all animals; he is the most terrible of all when he lives without law, and without justice.”’
‘“Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.”’
‘“It is our choice of good or evil that determines our character, not our opinion about good or evil.”’,
‘“Intuition is the source of scientific knowledge.”’
‘“There is only one good, that is knowledge; there is only one evil, that is ignorance.”’
‘“Aristocracy is that form of government in which education and discipline are qualifications for suffrage and office holding.”’
‘“Knowledge of the fact differs from knowledge of the reason for the fact.”’
‘“The greatest injustices proceed from those who pursue excess, not by those who are driven by necessity.”’
‘“It is of the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.”’,
‘“In justice is all virtues found in sum.”’
‘“We do not know a truth without knowing its cause.”’
‘“The greatest thing by far is to have a command of metaphor. This alone cannot be imparted by another; it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblances.”’
‘ “All men seek one goal: success or happiness.”’
‘“Evil brings men together.”’
‘“Worms are the intestines of the earth.”’
‘“Nature operates in the shortest way possible.”’
‘“A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies.”’
‘“The young are heated by Nature as drunken men by wine.”’
‘“Before you heal the body you must first heal the mind.”’
‘“The greatest crimes are caused by surfeit, not by want.”’
‘“The end of labor is to gain leisure.”’
‘“By ‘life,’ we mean a thing that can nourish itself and grow and decay.”’
‘“A change in the shape of the body creates a change in the state of the soul.”’
‘“Leisure of itself gives pleasure and happiness and enjoyment of life, which are experienced, not by the busy man, but by those who have leisure.”’
‘“To love someone is to identify with them.”’
‘“There is more both of beauty and of raison d’etre in the works of nature- than in those of art.”’
‘“Friendship is two souls inhabiting one body.”’
‘ “Gentleness is the ability to bear reproaches and slights with moderation, and not to embark on revenge quickly, and not to be easily provoked to anger, but be free from bitterness and contentiousness, having tranquility and stability in the spirit.”’
‘“Humility is a flower which does not grow in everyone’s garden.”’
‘“Bring your desires down to your present means. Increase them only when your increased means permit.”’
‘“The character which results from wealth is that of a prosperous fool.”’
‘“Reason is a light that God has kindled in the soul.”’
‘“For though we love both the truth and our friends, piety requires us to honor the truth first.”’
‘“Men are marked from the moment of birth to rule or be ruled.”’
‘“Whether we call it sacrifice, or poetry, or adventure, it is always the same voice that calls.”’
‘“To be always seeking after the useful does not become free and exalted souls.”’
‘“Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.”’
‘“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.”’
‘“When you are lonely, when you feel yourself an alien in the world, play Chess. This will raise your spirits and be your counselor in war.”’
‘“Anyone who has no need of anybody but himself is either a beast or a God.”’
‘“Cruel is the strife of brothers.”’
‘“To be ignorant of motion is to be ignorant of nature.”’
‘“Men come together in cities in order to live: they remain together in order to live the good life.”’
‘“Time is the measurable unit of movement concerning a before and an after.”’
‘“Emotions of any kind can be evoked by melody and rhythm; therefore music has the power to form character.”’
‘ “When the looms spin by themselves, we’ll have no need for slaves.”’
‘“It is clear that the earth does not move, and that it does not lie elsewhere than at the center.”’
‘“Men are swayed more by fear than by reverence.”’
‘“The best tragedies are conflicts between a hero and his destiny.”’
‘“A true friend is one soul divided into two people.”’
‘“The greatest threat to the state is not faction but distraction.”’
‘“Adventure is worthwhile.”’
‘“Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in excellence; for these wish well alike to each other qua good, and they are good in themselves.”’
‘“No notice is taken of a little evil, but when it increases it strikes the eye.”’
‘“No science ever defends its first principles.”’
‘“The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.”’
‘“True happiness flows from the possession of wisdom and virtue and not from the possession of external goods.”’
‘“Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.”’
‘“Every man should be responsible to others, nor should any one be allowed to do just as he pleases; for where absolute freedom is allowed, there is nothing to restrain the evil which is inherent in every man.”’
‘“The state comes into existence for the sake of life and continues to exist for the sake of good life.”’
‘“It is likely that unlikely things should happen.”’
‘“The form of government is a democracy when the free, who are also poor and the majority, govern, and an oligarchy when the rich and the noble govern, they being at the same time few in number.”’
‘“So the good has been well explained as that at which all things aim.”’
‘“Good laws, if they are not obeyed, do not constitute good government.”’
‘“Those that deem politics beneath their dignity are doomed to be governed by those of lesser talents.”’
‘“The intention makes the crime.”’
‘“Life in the true sense is perceiving or thinking.”’
‘“Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and, consequently, imperishable.”’
‘“A good style must have an air of novelty, at the same time concealing its art.”’
‘“Law is mind without reason.”’
‘“Metaphor is halfway between the unintelligible and the commonplace.”’
‘“If you prove the cause, you at once prove the effect; and conversely nothing can exist without its cause.”’
‘“Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.”’
‘“Happiness is prosperity combined with virtue.”’
‘“Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life.”’
‘“Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons.”’
‘ “With the truth, all given facts harmonize; but with what is false, the truth soon hits a wrong note.”’
‘“One swallow does not make a spring, nor does one fine day.”’
‘“Emotions of any kind are produced by melody and rhythm; therefore by music a man becomes accustomed to feeling the right emotions; music has thus the power to form character, and the various kinds of music based on various modes may be distinguished by their effects on character.”’
‘“Selfishness doesn’t consist in a love to yourself, but in a big degree of such love.”’
‘“If everything when it occupies an equal space is at rest, and if that which is in locomotion is always occupying such a space at any moment, the flying arrow is therefore motionless.”’
‘“The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom.”’
‘“All that we do is done with an eye to something else.”’
‘“A city is composed of different kinds of men; similar people cannot bring a city into existence.”’
‘“It is easy to perform a good action, but not easy to acquire a settled habit of performing such actions.”’
‘ “A right election can only be made by those who have knowledge;.”’
‘ “People never know each other until they have eaten a certain amount of salt together.”’
‘“Of the modes of persuasion furnished by the spoken word there are three kinds. The first kind depends on the personal character ofthe speaker; the second on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; the third on the proof, provided by the words of the speech itself.”’
‘“Sophocles said he drew men as they ought to be, and Euripides as they were.”’
‘“But nature flies from the infinite; for the infinite is imperfect, and nature always seeks an end.”’
‘“It’s the fastest who gets paid, and it’s the fastest who gets laid.”’
‘ “One may go wrong in many different ways, but right only in one, which is why it is easy to fail and difficult to succeed.”’
‘“All food must be capable of being digested, and that what produces digestion is warmth; that is why everything that has soul in it possesses warmth.”’
‘“Men are good in but one way, but bad in many.”’
‘“Democracy arose from men’s thinking that if they are equal in any respect, they are equal absolutely.”’
‘“The purpose of art is to represent the meaning of things. This represents the true reality, not external aspects.”’
‘ “Man first begins to philosophize when the necessities of life are supplied.”’
‘“To be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious of our own existence.”’
‘“Distance does not break off the friendship absolutely, but only the activity of it.”’
‘“Let us first understand the facts and then we may seek the cause.”’
‘“All friendly feelings toward others come from the friendly feelings a person has for himself.”’
‘“Those who have been eminent in philosophy, politics, poetry, and the arts have all had tendencies toward melancholia.”’
‘“Happiness, then, is found to be something perfect and self-sufficient, being the end to which our actions are directed.”’
‘“Injustice results as much from treating unequals equally as from treating equals unequally.”’
‘ “Every rascal is not a thief, but every thief is a rascal.”’
‘“Happiness is the utilization of one’s talents along lines of excellence.”’
‘“My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.”’
‘“The only way to achieve true success is to express yourself completely in service to society.”’
‘“A true disciple shows his appreciation by reaching further than his teacher.”’
‘ “Imagination is a sort of faint perception.”’
‘ “With respect to the requirement of art, the probable impossible is always preferable to the improbable possible.”’
‘“To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.”’
‘“We can do noble acts without ruling the earth and sea.”’
