Q0324
“Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is…” — Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics I.1)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Nicomachean Ethics I.1. Theme: good.
English
Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is thought to aim at some good.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Nicomachean Ethics I.1 and files it under Peripatetic School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Aristotle
Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher born in Stagira in Macedonia, the son of a court physician. At about seventeen he entered Plato’s Academy in Athens and remained associated with it until Plato’s death in 347.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Dhammapada and Philippa Foot), good is framed through Early Buddhism and Analytic Philosophy. Some passages define good; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through good, practice.
Concepts in this quote
- Good
- Good appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat good as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Practice
- Practice is where thought becomes habit: philosophy as a way of living, training, and repeated action.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Aristotle. (n.d.). Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and choice, is thought to aim at some good. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0324
MLA: Aristotle. “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0324.
Chicago: Aristotle. “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0324.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every…”?
The passage is attributed to Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I.1. The archive attributes this English wording to Nicomachean Ethics I.1 and files it under Peripatetic School. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Aristotle mean by good?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Dhammapada and Philippa Foot), good is framed through Early Buddhism and Analytic Philosophy. Some passages define good; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through good, practice.