If you’re looking for inspiration and insight into living a meaningful life, turn to the words of one of history’s greatest thinkers: Aristotle.
The ancient Greek philosopher was incredibly wise and has been a source of inspiration throughout the centuries.
Here, we’ve compiled a collection of 70 powerful, memorable, and insightful quotes from his work on mind, philosophy, and happiness – all sure to ignite some motivation in any reader! From thought-provoking proverbs to downright sage advice, get ready to explore the wisdom that has endured through time.
Below you’ll find a list of the 70 Aristotle Quotes.
Top 70 Aristotle Quotes on Mind
- “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
- “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
- “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
- “A friend to all is a friend to none.”
- “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
- “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead.”
- “The law is reason, free from passion.”
Aristotle quotes on Education
- “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
- “Wit is educated insolence.”
- “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.”
- “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.”
- “The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.”
- “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”
- “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.”
- “Friendship is essentially a partnership.”
- “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
- “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire.”
- “The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.”
Aristotle quotes on Leadership
- “Man is by nature a social animal.”
- “To be conscious of being, you need to reclaim consciousness from the mind.”
- “Hope is a waking dream.”
- “The soul never thinks without an image.”
- “The difference between a wise and a foolish man is that the former sees much, thinks much, and speaks little, while the latter speaks more than he either sees or thinks.”
- “To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”
- “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.”
- “It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.”
Aristotle quotes on Character
- “Nature does nothing in vain.”
- “The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes.”
- “We should behave to our friends as we would wish our friends to behave to us.”
- “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”
- “There is no great genius without a mixture of madness.”
- “The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life–knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live.”
- “All men by nature desire knowledge.”
- “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
- “Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot.”
- “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.”
Aristotle quotes on Happiness
- “The secret to humor is surprise
- “The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.”
- “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
- “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead.”
- “It is not enough to know what to do, you must also do it.”
- The energy of mind is the essence of life.
- Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.
- Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
- It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
- No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.
- Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.
Aristotle quotes on excellance
- Our problem is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low and hit.
- “Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
- “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.”
- “The educated mind seeks truth, not victory.”
- “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
- “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”
- “We become what we repeatedly do.”
- “Happiness is a state of activity.”
Aristotle quotes on Hard work
- “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
- “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
- “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
- “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
- “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
- “Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.”
- “It is not what we have, but what we enjoy, that constitutes our abundance.”
- “The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.”
- “A true friend is one soul in two bodies.”
- “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
