Aristotle, 384 bc – 322 bc, was a philosopher and polymath from the classical period of ancient Greece. He was the founder of the Lyceum and the Peripatetic school of philosophy and Aristotelian tradition. Along with his mentor Plato, he has been called the ‘Father of Western Philosophy.’ You can read quotes from Plato here.
Below are some of the best quotes from Aristotle about love, leadership, education, politics, happiness, democracy and much more. Enjoy.
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We are what we repeatedly do... excellence, therefore, isn't just an act, but a habit and life isn't just a series of events, but an ongoing process of self-definition.
Aristotle
Through discipline comes freedom.
Aristotle
Be a free thinker and don't accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in.
Aristotle
The high-minded man does not bear grudges, for it is not the mark of a great soul to remember injuries, but to forget them.
Aristotle
The fool tells me his reason; the wise man persuades me with my own.
Aristotle
Virtue means doing the right thing, in relation to the right person, at the right time, to the right extent, in the right manner, and for the right purpose. Thus, to give money away is quite a simple task, but for the act to be virtuous, the donor must give to the right person, for the right purpose, in the right amount, in the right manner, and at the right time.
Aristotle
Health is a matter of choice, not a mystery of chance.
Aristotle
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.
Aristotle
All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.
Aristotle
The most important relationship we can all have is the one you have with yourself, the most important journey you can take is one of self-discovery. To know yourself, you must spend time with yourself, you must not be afraid to be alone. Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
Aristotle
Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.
Aristotle
The worst thing about slavery is that the slaves eventually get to like it.
Aristotle
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.
Aristotle
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.
Aristotle
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.
Aristotle
Before you heal the body you must first heal the mind.
Aristotle
The more you know, the more you know you don't know.
Aristotle
Happiness is a quality of the soul...not a function of one's material circumstances.
Aristotle
When there is no middle class, and the poor greatly exceed in number, troubles arise, and the state soon comes to an end.
Aristotle
Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time.
Aristotle
The difference between a learned man and an ignorant one is the same as that between a living man and a corpse.
Aristotle
A gentleman is not disturbed by anything.
Aristotle
Our problem is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low and hit.
Aristotle
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
Aristotle
Life is only meaningful when we are striving for a goal.
Aristotle
A person's life persuades better than his word.
Aristotle
The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.
Aristotle
We are the sum of our actions, and therefore our habits make all the difference.
Aristotle
The society that loses its grip on the past is in danger, for it produces men who know nothing but the present, and who are not aware that life had been, and could be, different from what it is.
Aristotle
The greatest of all pleasures is the pleasure of learning.
Aristotle
Humility is a flower which does not grow in everyone's garden.
Aristotle
Tyrants preserve themselves by sowing fear and mistrust among the citizens by means of spies, by distracting them with foreign wars, by eliminating men of spirit who might lead a revolution, by humbling the people, and making them incapable of decisive action.
Aristotle
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.
Aristotle
Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotism's.
Aristotle
No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.
Aristotle
At the intersection where your gifts, talents, and abilities meet a human need; therein you will discover your purpose.
Aristotle
He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.
Aristotle
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle
He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.
Aristotle
The proof that you know something is that you are able to teach it.
Aristotle
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour.
Aristotle
