Q0557
“The health of the soul is for its traits to be traits…” — Al-Farabi (Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth). Theme: virtue.
English
The health of the soul is for its traits to be traits by which it does good, fine, and noble actions.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. 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 Al-Farabi
Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī (c. 870–950), later called the ‘Second Teacher’ after Aristotle, worked mainly in Baghdad and Syria.
How to read this passage
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, action.
Concepts in this quote
- Virtue
- Virtue names excellences of character—habits of perception and action oriented toward the good.
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Al-Farabi. (n.d.). The health of the soul is for its traits to be traits by which it does good, fine, and noble actions. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0557
MLA: Al-Farabi. “The health of the soul is for its….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0557.
Chicago: Al-Farabi. “The health of the soul is for its….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0557.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The health of the soul is for its…”?
The passage is attributed to Al-Farabi, Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth). The archive attributes this English wording to Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. 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 Al-Farabi mean by virtue?
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, action.