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Quote by Aristotle

“Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers, and oligarchy in which the rich; it is only an accident that the free are the many and the rich are the few.”

Quote by Aristotle

Book:The Essential Aristotle
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The Essential Aristotle

This compilation brings together essential writings of Aristotle, offering readers a concise yet profound understanding of his intellectual legacy. It includes extracts from his major treatises, providing a glimpse into his logical reasoning, empirical observations, and philosophical theories that have influenced Western thought for centuries. more

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Aristotle
Aristotle

Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher, is one of the founders of Western philosophy. His thoughts covered a wide range of fields, including ethics, logic, politics, and had a profound impact on the world. more

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“Because the rich are generally few in number, while the poor are many, they appear to be antagonistic, and as the one or the other prevails they form the government. Hence arises the common opinion that there are two kinds of government - democracy and oligarchy.”

KindTwoGovernmentFormPoorCommonNumbersOpinionDemocracyRichAriseOligarchy
Book:Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation
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“There are still two forms besides democracy and oligarchy; one of them is universally recognized and included among the four principal forms of government, which are said to be (1) monarchy, (2) oligarchy, (3) democracy, and (4) the so-called aristocracy or government of the best. But there is also a fifth, which retains the generic name of polity or constitutional government.”

SaidStillsTwoGovernmentFormNamesDemocracyFourPrincipalFifthMonarchyAristocracyForms Of GovernmentOligarchyGenericConstitutional GovernmentGeneric Name
Book:The Essential Aristotle
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“In the many forms of government which have sprung up there has always been an acknowledgement of justice and proportionate equality, although mankind fail in attaining them, as indeed I have already explained. Democracy, for example, arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal.”

MenGovernmentFormJusticeDemocracyFailingMankindExampleEqualClaimsNotionAriseForms Of GovernmentAcknowledgementSprungSprung Up
Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens
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“Of old, the demagogue was also a general, and then democracies changed into tyrannies. Most of the ancient tyrants were originally demagogues. They are not so now, but they were then; and the reason is that they were generals and not orators, for oratory had not yet come into fashion.”

ReasonGovernmentDemocracyFashionChangedAncientTyrannyTyrantsOratorsOratory
Book:Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation
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“In all well-attempered governments there is nothing which should be more jealously maintained than the spirit of obedience to law, more especially in small matters; for transgression creeps in unperceived and at last ruins the state, just as the constant recurrence of small expenses in time eats up a fortune.”

ShouldWellsMatterStatesGovernmentLastsLawSpiritConstantFortuneRuinsObedienceExpensesCreepsTransgressionRecurrenceJealously
Book:The Essential Aristotle
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