120 Aristotle Quotes On Philosophy And Science
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who made fundamental contributions to nearly every discipline, from logic and metaphysics to ethics and political theory. As one of the most influential thinkers of all time, Aristotle’s teachings have profoundly shaped Western thought and civilization.
This article shares 120 quotes from Aristotle on a variety of philosophical and scientific topics. As both a philosopher and natural scientist, Aristotle wrote extensively on fields ranging from metaphysics to biology and physics. His many insightful quotes reveal not only his profound thinking across disciplines but also convey universal truths that remain relevant today.
The quotes have been grouped thematically to allow readers to explore Aristotle’s ideas on different subject areas. The first section includes quotes on metaphysical topics such as substance, potentiality, and actuality. Subsequent sections will cover Aristotle’s quotes on logic, virtue and ethics, politics, science, and more. By presenting this comprehensive selection of Aristotle’s most important quotes, this article aims to give readers a taste of his wide-ranging brilliance and influence that still resonates today.
Quotes on wisdom and knowledge from Aristotle
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics’
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle’s ‘Rhetoric’
“Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” – Aristotle’s ‘Politics’
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle’s ‘Ethics’
“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics’
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” – Aristotle’s ‘Metaphysics’
“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” – Plato, Aristotle’s teacher
“Time crumbles things; everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time.” – Aristotle’s ‘Metaphysics’
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” – Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics’
“The highest form of human excellence is achieved by those whose self-seeking is benevolent and well regulated by conscience and reason.” – Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics’
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle’s ‘Ethics’
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” – Aristotle’s ‘Politics’
“The goal of science is not only to observe, but to reduce observations to laws.” – Unknown, often attributed to Aristotle
Aristotle reflects on human nature with selected quotes
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.” – Aristotle
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“Man is by nature a social animal.” – Aristotle
“Silence is a sign of wisdom in a questioning world.” – Aristotle
“Change in all things is sweet.” – Aristotle
“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle
“It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.” – 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
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – 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
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle
“Wit is educated insolence.” – Aristotle
“Hope is a waking dream.” – Aristotle
“Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.” – Aristotle
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
“Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.” – Aristotle
“The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.” – Aristotle
Proverbs on logic and reasoning attributed to Aristotle
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“All people by nature desire to know.” – Aristotle
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” – Aristotle
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit.” – Aristotle
“Nature does nothing uselessly.” – Aristotle
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – Aristotle
“The aiming at the impossible is necessary for progress in art just as it is for progress in science.” – Aristotle
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
“The end of labor is to gain leisure.” – Aristotle
“We make war that we may live in peace.” – Aristotle
“Moral and intellectual virtue is not a feeling or emotion, but a capacity to act.” – Aristotle
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” – Aristotle
“It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.” – Aristotle
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
“Well begun is half done.” – Aristotle
“Silence is a sign of wisdom.” – Aristotle
“Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy.” – Aristotle
Sayings on ethics and morality from the philosopher Aristotle
4) ‘Happiness depends upon ourselves.’ – Aristotle
3) ‘Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do.’ – Aristotle
2) ‘Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.’ – Aristotle
1) ‘It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.’ – Aristotle
5) ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ – Aristotle
6) ‘Wishing to be good is easy, what is difficult is finding the way.’ – Aristotle
7) ‘The energy of the mind is the essence of life.’ – Aristotle
8) ‘You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.’ – Aristotle
9) ‘The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.’ – Aristotle
11) ‘There is no great genius without some touch of madness.’ – Aristotle
10) ‘The good of man must be the end of the science of politics.’ – Aristotle
13) ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.’ – Aristotle
12) ‘It is plausible to suppose that courage is a kind of optimism about dangers.’ – Aristotle
15) ‘Happiness depends upon ourselves.’ – Aristotle
14) ‘The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes.’ – Aristotle
17) ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’ – Aristotle
16) ‘Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.’ – Aristotle
18) ‘Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.’ – Aristotle
19) ‘This alone is lacking, and it is a great lack, in a State, that there is no common hall or court of justice, to which all the citizens may resort and in which they may hear discussion and obtain judgment upon their causes.’ – Aristotle
20) ‘The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.’ – Aristotle
Excerpts covering politics from Aristotle’s works
“Democracy, which is a state of the multitude, differs from oligarchy, which is a state of the rich, one or a few controlling.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“The basis of a democratic state is liberty.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“Tyranny is a kind of monarchy which has in view the interest of the monarch only; oligarchy has in view the interest of the wealthy; democracy, of the needy: none of them the common good of all.”- The Politics of Aristotle
“Constitutional equality consists not in the equal amount but in the equal opportunity of exercising it.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“If all communities aim at some good, 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. “- The Politics of Aristotle
“The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“But from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“Of political justice part is natural, part legal – natural, that which has the same validity everywhere, and does not depend upon being agreed to or not.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“Any body 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.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“For them there is no leisure; and still more they aim at enjoyment rather than at study.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“Men come together in the state in order that they may live, but they remain in it, in order that, through the medium of the state, they may live well.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“That is best which is administered by the best.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“The end of the state is the good life, and not mere life only.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“There is nothing which we are tempted to regard as too good to be true.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“For as the citizens so the constitution.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“Let no one suppose that democratic forms are incompatible with political intelligence or political wisdom.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.” – The Politics of Aristotle
“A just constitution seeks to make like equals by their sharing in it, unlike unequals by assigning to each his due.” – The Politics of Aristotle
Exchanges on rhetoric and composition by Aristotle
“Skill in speech is useful for the purposes of debate, but is out of place and morally dangerous in other sorts of situations such as in political decisions and legal judgment.”
“The function of rhetoric is to deal with such matters as we deliberate upon without rules to guide us.”
“Rhetoric is useful because things that are true and things that are just are by no means the same.”
“Words carrying contentious suggestions should be avoided, for they only offend the hearer.”
“We should avoid language that rouses emotions for its own sake, and seek language that calms emotions and makes the hearer receptive.”
“The argument is meant to be amplified and made believable by the speech.”
“Repetition is effective because the speaker seems to have proved his point when he has stated it many times over.”
“Delivery is the final and most important element in speech making.”
“We believe good men more fully and more readily than others.”
“The difference between argument and evidence lies in this: we recognize an argument to be such and such by inherent force, but we recognize an item of evidence as bearing on a particular point, when it has been inserted in the context of the case.”
“Find the means of persuasion in the passions.”
“An error in argument can be refuted point by point, but when there is no argumentative flaw the hearer is persuaded.”
“Of the modes of persuasion there are three kinds: one consists of portraying the facts, another of awakening emotions, a third of proving or persuading.”
“The true and the approximately true are standards that regulate persuasive speech.”
“Everyone wishes to be happy, and happiness, as we claim, involves self-sufficiency, honour, excellence and pleasure.”
“Language offers endless possibilities to the skillful orator for amplifying or cutting down the importance of circumstances.”
“Make your hearers feel that you are declaring things that are incredible, impossible and untrue.”
“Appeals to pity are thought to be most pathetic if one makes the hearers feel that they themselves are the victims.”
“Do not dwell on feelings that are universally held to be decidedly painful or damaging.”
“Those who wish to persuade people will not use a direct refutation of another’s words or personality, for this rouses opposition.”
Conclusion
Aristotle’s quotes provide tremendous wisdom and insight into philosophy and scientific thought. They cover an incredibly wide range of topics from metaphysics to ethics, politics to biology, and much more. While written over two thousand years ago, his words still ring true today and encourage logical examination of ideas and phenomena. I hope these timeless quotes will inspire readers to observe the world around them with an inquisitive eye and think critically about our place in the universe. Reflecting on Aristotle’s teachings is a fascinating exercise that can lead to new perspectives, regardless of one’s field of interest or study. His genius truly knew no bounds.
