Aristotle Quotes

Aristotle though long gone for centuries still remains an epitome of intellect even in this 21st century. He is recognized as the Father of Western Philosophy.

Although Philosophy was one of Aristotle’s main concerns, he’s known to have delved into other branches of science and even postulate theories and ideas which were found to be accurate up until the 19th century. Other areas of knowledge influenced by Aristotle asides Philosophy include Logic, Ethics, Poetry, Music, Aesthetics, Theatre, Rhetoric, Physics, Biology, Zoology, Metaphysics, Economics and Politics.

Below are 48 of the most poignant quotes by Aristotle:

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.

No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self.

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.

The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.

Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.

Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.

Learning is not child’s play; we cannot learn without pain.

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them.

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.

Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of time and is forgotten through the lapse of time.

Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.

Whatever lies within our power to do lies also within our power not to do.

For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.

A friend to all is a friend to none.

He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.

He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.

Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.

It is of the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.

Each man judges well the things he knows.

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.

Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.

Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons.

Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.

Every rascal is not a thief, but every thief is a rascal.

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

For what is the best choice, for each individual is the highest it is possible for him to achieve.

Friends hold a mirror up to each other; through that mirror they can see each other in ways that would not otherwise be accessible to them, and it is this mirroring that helps them improve themselves as persons.

Friendship is essentially a partnership.

Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

Happiness is activity.

Happiness is an expression of the soul in considered actions.

Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot.