Last Updated: January 2, 2024 by Quote.cc Team

Aristotle, born in 384 B.C. in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece, is universally recognized as one of the greatest philosophers and scientists of all time. A student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, Aristotle’s influence spans across numerous disciplines, from logic and metaphysics to ethics and biology.

His early education was likely completed at Plato’s Academy in Athens, where he later returned to study and eventually teach. Aristotle’s works encompassed a wide range of topics, including politics, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and science. He is known for his empirical approach to studying the natural world, which laid the groundwork for systematic scientific inquiry.

Among his many contributions, Aristotle’s ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ explores the concept of virtue and the good life, while ‘Politics’ examines the nature of the state and government. In ‘Metaphysics,’ he delves into the fundamental nature of reality and being. His work in logic, especially his development of syllogism, is another cornerstone of his philosophical legacy.

Aristotle’s Lyceum, his school in Athens, became a center for gathering, preserving, and analyzing knowledge from across the known world. His teachings have profoundly influenced Western thought and continue to be a subject of academic study and debate.

Aristotle passed away in 322 B.C. in Euboea, but his intellectual legacy has lived on, deeply ingraining his ideas in the foundation of Western philosophy and science. His works continue to be a vital part of philosophical education and discourse today.

In this blog post, we’ll share and analyze some of Aristotle’s most notable quotes, their meanings, and their importance in today’s world. So, grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and let’s uncover the wisdom of Aristotle.

Aristotle Quotes

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle

“The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.” – Aristotle

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” – Aristotle

“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” – Aristotle

“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” – Aristotle

“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” – Aristotle

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” – Aristotle

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle

“The soul never thinks without a picture.” – Aristotle

“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle

“The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.” – Aristotle

“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.” – Aristotle

“Hope is a waking dream.” – Aristotle

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle

“Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” – Aristotle

“The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead.” – Aristotle

“It is easy to perform a good action, but not easy to acquire a settled habit of performing such actions.” – Aristotle

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” – Aristotle

“The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.” – Aristotle

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” – Aristotle

“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” – Aristotle

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” – Aristotle

“It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.” – Aristotle

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” – Aristotle

“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.” – Aristotle

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” – Aristotle

“Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.” – Aristotle

“The worst thing about slavery is that the slaves eventually get to like it.” – Aristotle

“All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” – Aristotle

“Man is by nature a political animal.” – Aristotle

“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.” – Aristotle

“Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” – Aristotle

“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.” – Aristotle

“A friend to all is a friend to none.” – Aristotle

“Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.” – Aristotle

“Nature does nothing uselessly.” – Aristotle

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – Aristotle

“The ignorant man always adores what he cannot understand.” – Aristotle

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle

“Wit is educated insolence.” – Aristotle

“A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one.” – Aristotle

“All men by nature desire knowledge.” – Aristotle

“Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.” – Aristotle

“The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.” – Aristotle

“The least deviation from truth will be multiplied later.” – Aristotle

“It is unbecoming for young men to utter maxims.” – Aristotle

“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.” – Aristotle

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” – Aristotle

“Change in all things is sweet.” – Aristotle

“The secret to humor is surprise.” – Aristotle

“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” – Aristotle

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” – Aristotle

“The one who loves less controls the relationship.” – Aristotle

“One swallow does not make a summer, nor does one day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.” – Aristotle

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

“The gods too are fond of a joke.” – Aristotle

“To perceive is to suffer.” – Aristotle

“Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them.” – Aristotle

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” – Aristotle

“All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.” – Aristotle

“The law is reason, free from passion.” – Aristotle

“The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.” – Aristotle