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Quote by Aristotle

“Take the case of just actions; just punishments and chastisements do indeed spring from a good principle, but they are good only because we cannot do without them - it would be better that neither individuals nor states should need anything of the sort - but actions which aim at honor and advantage are absolutely the best. The conditional action is only the choice of a lesser evil; whereas these are the foundation and creation of good. A good man may make the best even of poverty and disease, and the other ills of life.”

Quote by Aristotle

Book:Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation

Work

Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation

The Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2 includes translations of various treatises and dialogues, showcasing Aristotle's philosophical and scientific thought. This revised Oxford translation is renowned for its accuracy and scholarly depth. more

Author

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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“The good man is he for whom, because he is virtuous, the things that are absolutely good are good; it is also plain that his use of these goods must be virtuous and in the absolute sense good.”

Men Use Absolutes Goods Good Man Virtuous

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“Of actions some aim at what is necessary and useful, and some at what is honorable. And the preference given to one or the other class of actions must necessarily be like the preference given to one or other part of the soul and its actions over the other; there must be war for the sake of peace, business for the sake of leisure, things useful and necessary for the sake of things honorable.”

War Soul Action Given Class Aim Sake Leisure Honorable Preference Sure Thing

Book:Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation

Source: Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation

“The state or political community, which is the highest of all, and which embraces all the rest, aims at good in a greater degree than any other, and at the highest good.”

States Government Political Community Greater Degrees Highest Aim Embrace

Book:Constitution of Athens and Related Texts

Source: Constitution of Athens and Related Texts

“The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing.”

Self States Government Individual Creation Proof Isolated

Book:Politics

Source: Politics

“In most constitutional states the citizens rule and are ruled by turns, for the idea of a constitutional state implies that the natures of the citizens are equal, and do not differ at all.”

Ideas States Government Turns Citizens Equal

Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

Source: Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

“In the Laws it is maintained that the best constitution is made up of democracy and tyranny, which are either not constitutions at all, or are the worst of all. But they are nearer the truth who combine many forms; for the constitution is better which is made up of more numerous elements. The constitution proposed in the Laws has no element of monarchy at all; it is nothing but oligarchy and democracy, leaning rather to oligarchy.”

Made Government Form Law Democracy Worst Elements Constitution Tyranny Monarchy Oligarchy

Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

Source: Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

“That the equalization of property exercises an influence on political society was clearly understood even by some of the old legislators. Laws were made by Solon and others prohibiting an individual from possessing as much land as he pleased.”

Made Government Law Political Individual Influence Land Exercise Understood Property Possessing Legislators

Book:Politics

Source: Politics

“If the state cannot be entirely composed of good men, and yet each citizen is expected to do his own business well, and must therefore have virtue, still inasmuch as all the citizens cannot be alike, the virtue of the citizen and of the good man cannot coincide. All must have the virtue of the good citizen - thus, and thus only, can the state be perfect; but they will not have the virtue of a good man, unless we assume that in the good state all the citizens must be good.”

Ifs Men Wells Stills States Government Perfect Virtue Citizens Assuming Be Good Expected Good Man Own Business Good Citizen

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“It has been well said that 'he who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.' The two are not the same, but the good citizen ought to be capable of both; he should know how to govern like a freeman, and how to obey like a freeman - these are the virtues of a citizen.”

Knows Should Wells Has Beens Said Two Government Know How Virtue Ought Citizens Capable Commanders Good Citizen Freeman Well Said

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the common interest; but governments which rule with a view to the private interest, whether of the one or of the few, or of the many, are perversions. For the members of a state, if they are truly citizens, ought to participate in its advantages.”

Ifs States Government Form Interest Views Common Ought Citizens Members Advantage Forms Of Government Perversion Common Interests

Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

Source: Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens