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Famous Aristotle Quotes

“There are, then, these three means of effecting persuasion. The man who is to be in command of them must, it is clear, be able (1) to reason logically, (2) to understand human character and goodness in their various forms, and (3) to understand the emotions--that is, to name them and describe them, to know their causes and the way in which they are excited.”

KnowsMenWayHumansMeanReasonCharacterAbleFormThreeNamesCausesEmotionClearHe ManGoodnessVariousExcitedCommandPersuasion
Book:The Modern Library Collection of Greek and Roman Philosophy 3-Book Bundle: Meditations; Selected Dialogues of Plato; The Basic Works of Aristotle
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“That education should be regulated by law and should be an affair of state is not to be denied, but what should be the character of this public education, and how young persons should be educated, are questions which remain to be considered. As things are, there is disagreement about the subjects. For mankind are by no means agreed about the things to be taught, whether we look to virtue or the best life. Neither is it clear whether education is more concerned with intellectual or with moral virtue.”

ShouldLooksMeanPersonsStatesCharacterLawYoungEducationMoralVirtueClearSubjectsMankindTaughtIntellectualConcernedAffairEducatedDeniedDisagreementPublic EducationMoral Virtues
Book:Pocket Aristotle
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“If thinking is like perceiving, it must be either a process in which the soul is acted upon by what is capable of being thought, or a process different from but analogous to that. The thinking part of the soul must therefore be, while impassable, capable of receiving the form of an object; that is, must be potentially identical in character with its object without being the object. Mind must be related to what is thinkable, as sense is to what is sensible.”

IfsThinkingMindDifferentSoulCharacterFormProcessObjectsCapableRelatedThoughtfulSensibleReceivingIdenticalThinkable
Book:On the Soul
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“A young man is not a proper hearer of lectures on political science; for he is inexperienced in the actions that occur in life, but its discussions start from these and are about these; and, further, since he tends to follow his passions, his study will be vain and unprofitable, because the end that is aimed at is not knowledge but action. And it makes no difference whether he is young in years or youthful in character.”

MenYearsEndsCharacterActionYoungPoliticalPassionPoliticsDifferencesLearningStudyStudentsVainDiscussionYoung ManLecturesPolitical ScienceNicomachean Ethics
Book:Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation
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“The legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution. The citizen should be molded to suit the form of government under which he lives. For each government has a peculiar character which originally formed and which continues to preserve it. The character of democracy creates democracy, and the character of oligarchy creates oligarchy.”

ShouldDoeCharacterGovernmentFormAttentionDemocracyYouthCitizensDirectConstitutionHarmSuitsPreservesNeglectPeculiarForms Of GovernmentLegislatorsOligarchy
Book:The Essential Aristotle
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“Yet the true friend of the people should see that they be not too poor, for extreme povery lowers the character of the democracy; measures therefore should be taken which will give them lasting prosperity; and as this is equally the interest of all classes, the proceeds of the public revenues should be accumulated and distributed among its poor, if possible, in such quantities as may enable them to purchase a little farm, or, at any rate, make a beginning in trade or husbandry.”

PeopleIfsGivingShouldMayLittlesCharacterInterestPoorClassDemocracyTakenTradeCharityRateProsperityExtremesLastingFarmsQuantityPhilanthropyRevenueTrue FriendPhilanthropic
Book:Works
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“Of ill-temper there are three kinds: irascibility, bitterness, sullenness. It belongs to the ill-tempered man to be unable to bear either small slights or defeats but to be given to retaliation and revenge, and easily moved to anger by any chance deed or word. Ill-temper is accompanied by excitability of character, instability, bitter speech, and liability to take offence at trifles and to feel these feelings quickly and on slight occasions.”

MenFeelsKindCharacterFeelingsThreeGivenChanceBearsSpeechAngerMovedDefeatIllDeedsRevengeBitterOccasionsBitternessTemperTriflesOffenceInstabilityLiabilityRetaliationIll Tempered
Book:Delphi Complete Works of Aristotle (Illustrated)
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