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Aristotle quotes on virtue

10 verified English passages where Aristotle’ s thought meets questions of virtue.

Aristotle on virtue

Aristotle (384–322 BCE) approaches virtue within Peripatetic. Aristotle pursued demonstrative science grounded in observation, definition, and causal explanation. His Organon developed syllogistic logic and standards of proof that structured Western reasoning for two millennia. On this page, the archive isolates English passages where that project meets virtue most directly—useful for searches such as “aristotle quotes on virtue.”

How to use this page

Start with the shortest passage, then compare tone across sources. Return to the Aristotle thinker page for biography and to the virtue theme for other voices on the same question.

Frequently asked

What did Aristotle say about virtue?

The quotations below are the archive’s curated answer: English renderings selected for clarity and attribution, not a complete corpus.

Where else should I read after aristotle on virtue?

Related themes: Self , Knowledge , Freedom , Nature , Reason , Life .

  1. The human good is activity of soul in accordance with virtue.
  2. Virtues arise in us neither by nature nor contrary to nature; we are fitted by nature to receive them, and are brought to completion by habit.
  3. Virtue is a state concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us.
  4. So too, by doing just acts we become just, by doing temperate acts temperate, and by doing brave acts brave.
  5. It is possible to fail in many ways…but to succeed in only one.
  6. After this we should speak of friendship; for it is a kind of virtue, or involves virtue.
  7. States of character arise out of like activities.
  8. Virtue lies in a mean.
  9. Perfect friendship is the friendship of those who are good and alike in virtue.
  10. Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a mean, i.e. the mean relative to us, this being determined by a rational principle, and by that principle by which the man of practical wisdom would determine it.