“Do not spend in excess like one who is careless of what is good, nor be miserly; the mean is best in every case.” MeanCasesExcessCareless Author:Pythagoras
“Moral virtue is ... a mean between two vices, that of excess and that of defect, and ... it is no small task to hit the mean in each case, as it is not, for example, any chance comer, but only the geometer, who can find the center of a given circle.” MeanTwoGivenChanceMoralCasesVirtueExampleMoralityTasksVicesCirclesExcessDefectsMoral Virtues Book:The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Source: The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle
“There are, then, three states of mind ... two vices--that of excess, and that of defect; and one virtue--the mean; and all these are in a certain sense opposed to one another; for the extremes are not only opposed to the mean, but also to one another; and the mean is opposed to the extremes.” MindMeanTwoStatesCertainThreeVirtueVicesExtremesState Of MindExcessDefects Book:The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle Source: The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle
“The supply of good fellows is by no means in excess of the demand. A man has only to hoist the flag of hospitality to insure a very considerable amount of custom.” MenMeanAmountDemandFellowsCustomsExcessFlagsHospitality Book:The novels of R.S. Surtees Source: The novels of R.S. Surtees