Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer

Rate this book
A selection of writings on how to achieve a more ethical society and way of life, from one of Ancient history's most celebrated thinkers

How can one live well in the world? What does it mean to be happy? In this selection from The Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle probes the nature of happiness and virtue in a quest to divine an ethical value system. Exploring ideas of community, responsibility, courage, friendship, agency, reasoning, desire and pleasure, these are some of the most profound and lasting ancient writings on the self to have influenced Western thought.

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives--and upended them. Now Penguin brings you a new set of the acclaimed Great Ideas, a curated library of selections from the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

128 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2021

51 people are currently reading
597 people want to read

About the author

Aristotle

3,933 books5,480 followers
Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum in Athens, he began the wider Aristotelian tradition that followed, which set the groundwork for the development of modern science.
Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 17 or 18, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of 37 (c. 347 BC). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC. He established a library in the Lyceum, which helped him to produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Though Aristotle wrote many treatises and dialogues for publication, only around a third of his original output has survived, none of it intended for publication. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various philosophies existing prior to him. His teachings and methods of inquiry have had a significant impact across the world, and remain a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Aristotle's views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of his physical science extended from late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and was not replaced systematically until the Enlightenment and theories such as classical mechanics were developed. He influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies during the Middle Ages, as well as Christian theology, especially the Neoplatonism of the Early Church and the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church.
Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as "The First Teacher", and among medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas as simply "The Philosopher", while the poet Dante Alighieri called him "the master of those who know". His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, and were studied by medieval scholars such as Pierre Abélard and Jean Buridan. Aristotle's influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. In addition, his ethics, although always influential, gained renewed interest with the modern advent of virtue ethics.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
25 (13%)
4 stars
72 (37%)
3 stars
79 (41%)
2 stars
15 (7%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for emma.
2,523 reviews90k followers
May 15, 2023
welcome to: THE PENGUIN GREAT IDEAS PROJECT!

i am addicted both to projects and to short books that are Edifying (read: make me seem cool and intellectual) so this series of teeny classics, which i once alleged i would be attempting to read on a daily basis until they were done and now just pick up based on vibes / my shoddy memory, are perfect.

find past books here:
WHAT IS EXISTENTIALISM?
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THREE JAPANESE BUDDHIST MONKS
REFLECTIONS ON THE GUILLOTINE
THE DECAY OF LYING
AIN'T I A WOMAN
BRIEF NOTES ON THE ART AND MANNER OF ARRANGING ONE'S BOOKS
THE POWER OF WORDS
WHEN I DARE TO BE POWERFUL
HOW TO BE A STOIC

this sounds like a directive to not jump to conclusions...but what if jumping to conclusions is one of my life's passions.

either way i want it to be summer so badly i could probably use some instructions.

i read a lot of aristotle's main stuff in an (inexplicably mandatory) ethics class i took in college, so this didn't have the one thing every book in this series has had thus far: novelty.

which was a killing blow, it turns out.
Profile Image for Morgan Holdsworth.
211 reviews
April 30, 2021
An accessible and thought provoking overview of Aristotelian Virtue Ethics. Everything is laid out in rather neat sections with a logical progression towards the end, while I don’t think I could necessarily subscribe to Aristotelian Virtue Ethics it’s an interesting account of morality which is certainly intriguing. Would recommend this to anyone doing Philosophy A level, as it was an excellent recap of normative ethics.
Profile Image for Clara Watson.
60 reviews2 followers
May 11, 2024
you know how to ball i know aristotle etc etc
Profile Image for Güçhan.
69 reviews1 follower
June 3, 2025
It is quite incredible that the ancient people were smarter than us in most cases. Aristotle and some others already figured out the solutions to the problems we still have today. What is more incredible is that they did it mostly by observation, since they didn't have the means to understand the physical and chemical structure of the human brain and body. Aristotle also realized that novelty is one of the factors of pleasure, just by observation. It sometimes shows but you can't blame them anyways.
It is interesting they had enough resources to talk about indulgence, promiscuity and such at the time. It is also interesting to think about what Aristotle would think about the science behind pleasure and all the things we created to destroy our reward system.
Profile Image for Katelyn Martin.
159 reviews6 followers
October 23, 2024
Some interesting bits but it was a dense read for such a tiny book. A lot of it just went right over my head.
104 reviews
July 3, 2025
Maddening to read. Very very circular. And this didn’t age well. Paraphrasing … Happiness is more easily achieved by the good looking and wealthy. And the pure altruistic nature of politicians. Blech. Abandoned, leaving these ancient decrepit thoughts for our ancestors.
Profile Image for Ed.
464 reviews16 followers
May 22, 2021
A really interesting read in which Aristotle attempts to chart what it is exactly that can lead to a life of happiness, and how such a thing can be achieved.
He looks at attemting to define what happiness is- landing on the idea that it is a balance between extremes; neither neglect nor excess, and that it is a contemplative activity that must be worked at for its own end. "One Swallow does not make a summer..." refers to the idea that although we may experience fleeting moments of joy, we can still be surrounded overall by sadness. Happiness is a continuous process, and only by diligence, and careful constant thought, can we maintain that state within ourselves.
Unfortunately, his arguments seem to me to become too circular as the book progresses; I will attempt to summarise. What makes us happy? Striving for and achieving "goodness". What exactly is "goodness"? It is the perfect fulfilment of function. What exactly is the "function" of a human, then? Well, it is to be a good person.
So; in order to be a good person, and therefore happy, we need to do the things that a good person would do. The final definition there is left a little too lose, and makes it feel like the whole idea wraps back into itself.
Very well written and thorough though, and an excellent translation. These Penguin Great Ideas editions are lovely, and it's great to read more classic philosophy.
Profile Image for Jacob.
34 reviews
Read
May 15, 2024
“One swallow does not make a summer; neither does one day. Similarly neither can one day, or a brief space of time, make a man blessed and happy.”


The first chapter mainly sets out the premise which Aristotle's arguments will be made throughout the novel. He decides in this that the object in life is happiness, but happiness can only truly be achieved through a life of virtue. That rather than a state or an emotion, happiness is an object to be sought after. In this Aristotle makes several arguments against other ideas of the time, such as Platos idea that there is one true good. He states that good is not a common characteristic based on one idea, but it widely varies. Already I find Aristotle's ideas to be more agreeable than those of Platos that I have read so far. He is far less cut and dry, rather than things being wholly good or wholly bad, Aristotle recognises that there are far more intricacies in the matter. The premise which he sets to make his arguments is also agreeable. Generally to call happiness simply a feeling is diminishing of its purpose. To look at it as a purpose and an end to be sought is far more fitting of the term. At first I found the definition to be a little far fetched as I thought: “Well then what am I feeling in the moment when I enjoy something? Is that not happiness?” Later he explains this as amusement, such is a better term for a temporary feeling of joy, usually brought about by some outward influence. Since often when that influence leaves, so does that amusement. Happiness is a more permanent state and it must also be self sufficient.
Aristotle sets out that moral goodness is not a naturally occurring thing, though people have a natural inclination to empathy, in general goodness is something which is learned and practiced. This is clearly true. No one is born with the ability to be good and even if one has a natural inclination toward things which are good this is likely an outcome of their environment. Later he then states that moral discernment is something which individuals are born with, which is a bit of a contradiction to his former statement. The former is the most likely of the two. Moral discernment is a social construct, not to say that it isn’t important, but it is something we teach people to do. To think something through and decide whether it is good or bad and the ability to do so is based on upbringing and life experiences more than anything else.
He then goes about defining virtue, stating that it is an individual's disposition toward their emotions and other uncontrollable forces. Anger is an uncontrollable emotion, but it makes one virtuous if they can recognise that anger and treat it accordingly. This is the best attitude to have towards virtuosity and moral goodness - it is a choice that one has to consistently make in everything that they do. The more it is practiced the more skilled one will become. Aristotle then argues that the morally good action is almost always a mean between two extremes, this, I believe, is often the case. He presents the case of rashness versus cowardice, where courage is the mean. The courageous person does not cower at a challenge, but they know that not all challenges should be faced head on and blindly. It is the addition of contemplation which makes this the mean, the ability to contemplate and use logic to discern what the proper action should be is what creates the mean. To this statement, he provides a few exceptions, such as murder, theft and adultery. I believe that even in these actions there is a circumstantial mean. For example, theft. If one steals something out of hunger, does that make them a morally corrupt individual? No, this does not. Aristotle recognises that some individuals actions are not always within their control. He gives the example of if one's family is held captive by a dictator and they are told they must do terrible things, otherwise they will get hurt, they are hardly culpable for their actions. He does not appear to extend that sort of leeway with other environmental circumstances which reads to me as a bit of a contradiction.
To follow this mean which he has presented, Aristotle sets out three general rules to follow in order to determine and follow it:
1) Stay away from extreme actions that are contrary to the means
2) Notice errors you are liable to, correct based on those
3) Guard against pleasure, as it influences impartiality

These rules are generally correct when it comes to determining what the correct course of action is, but I feel that they are most applicable to day to day life. Especially the first can be very counterproductive if one's goal is systemic change. Though generally I advocate for gradual change through policy, as that tends to be most effective (at least in liberal democracies) extreme situations often call for extreme action in turn. Not everyone has the privilege to respond to conflict in a peaceful manner, and Aristotle admits this. When stating that the aim in life is happiness, and by proxy peace, he mentions that even violent action is taken at the aim of some form of peace and stability. Or at the very least what is believed to be peace and stability. That war is justified and often necessary to create states of peace.
Generally I agree with the aim of this novel which is to communicate that happiness is what all individuals work towards. That “One Swallow does not make a Summer,” as in one good deed, or one pleasurable moment in time does not complete a life. One must strive to do good and find enjoyment as often as they can, in a way which is beneficial to oneself and to others.
Profile Image for GooseReads.
15 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2021
Classic Aristotle. Beautiful in that it both makes u feel smort when u read it and also vaguely uplifted in that life is a complex mess if things, happiness is ephemeral, and the search for goodness in life is undertaken by every deed you do. Probably a good a depression book.
Profile Image for siege is tired.
126 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars


‘One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.’


this little book breaks down (ancient girl-boss, i mean philosopher) Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics.

breaking things down into four lovely relatively helpful little sections which progress naturally with an easy to follow layout and surprisingly, reasonably accessible (it is still a book explaining Aristotelean Virtue Ethics) language.

this book would make for an alright entry point to people mildly interested in philosophy & ethics (especially ancient ethics) or who are very into and are quite knowledgeable in philosophy & ethics (like myself, i’m more than a bit philosophy obsessed) this book has the potential to be enjoyed by a variety of audiences, all i suggest, is knowing my critiques.

my critiques are that this is obviously a could be more than a bit outdated (it gets more obviously very dated in last half to quarter of the book, leaving the first half to be in my opinion, the far superior half). it leaves an unsatisfactory ending, which is disappointing due to its earlier promising premise. also falling flat because although it ends quite full circle it goes from being interesting and vast to overly political (somehow?), close minded and preachy.

simply put, it’s goes from educational to whiny in the second half, resulting in it falling flat. Aristotle may be better to me in smaller doses…

despite this, i still did like taking my time with this one.

(& this was a lot of fun to annotate, i’d highly recommend also annotating a copy of your own if you can, i found it also helped me comprehend the book a bit better).

🏺
Profile Image for Chris Navas.
69 reviews
December 30, 2024
3.8 stars

"Only when a man is dead, can one safely congratulate him on being immune from evil and misfortune"

I think Aristotle's points are very important and create a good foundation for knowledge but further in become ramblings on similar topics without adding more complex nuances to his arguments. A swallow does -not- make a summer as he suggests, meaning means to ends are not singled out actions that will not be met with further elaboration, but I do believe that Aristotle's worldview is a full of holes. He hammers in this concept that the supreme good of man is happiness, but I believe the good above all remains desire. Happiness as a concept is ground-level to fully understanding humanity's deterministic nature. We are fully guided by desire whether or not we believe it will truly bring us happiness. Humanity's ability to destruct itself through meaningless and chaotic situations is not done with happiness in mind, but neutral desire. Virtues are important, yes, but I believe Aristotle's stance on this issue is somewhat skewed by his belief that man is good and man will gravitate toward virtue or what one believes to be "good".

"One swallow does not make a summer; neither does one day. Similarly neither can one day, or a brief space of time, make a man blessed and happy."

Regardless, a very enjoyable and easy read.
Profile Image for William.
47 reviews
January 15, 2025
If you wanted to dip your toe into the waters of virtue ethics, then this would be a good starting point. Don't be put off by the somewhat opaque title: what you get here, in 100 pages, is key sections from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. The book covers the object of life, moral goodness, the virtues (focusing on courage and temperance) and role of pleasure and happiness. The idea of golden mean is here, as is the role of education.

You will also get a flavour of what Aristotle is like as philosopher: systematic, naturalistic and somewhat relentless.

What you don't get is the discussion of all the virtues. You are also left without any scholarly commentary and this is a problem when it comes to the section on happiness. There is no indication that in Greek, Aristotle used the term 'eudaimonia' and this has a different meaning from the 'happiness' of everyday English. Therefore, you may want to read this alongside a modern, short introduction to Aristotle.

The book ends with Aristotle's arguments that in order for everyone to lead a virtuous life, we need to get involved in politics. Hopefully then, Penguin Great Ideas will now produce a book of selections from the politics. If anyone from Penguin is reading this, please give it a punchier title than this one was landed with! ("Man is a political animal"? "The City State"?)
Profile Image for Emelie.
227 reviews52 followers
Read
May 1, 2022
“One swallow does not make a summer; neither does one day. Similarly neither can one day, or a brief space of time, make a man blessed and happy.”

Denna bok blir till en liten påminnelse om att ting tar tid. Ingenting kan riktigt ske över en natt: de större förändringarna som vi erfarar grundar sig i mindre skeenden som tillsammans har lett fram till något mer konkret. Dessa större förändringar får sedan individen att återigen gå i en ny riktning. Allt som sker bygger liksom på något tidigare, och detta något drar således individen ständigt vidare mot nya sammanhang och omständigheter. Men de enskilda händelserna behöver inte vara helt avgörande för vilken riktning en individ rör sig mot. Människan har en frihet i att kunna påverka sin egen framtid. Våra val, och vad vi väljer att göra av dessa, kan ständigt få oss på nya banor. En liten händelse är således inte heller helt avgörande för vår framtid. Människan kan liksom påverka hur hon tar sig an det hon ställs inför. Allt grundar sig egentligen i hur vi ser på världen och vår omgivning (och oss själva!), och vad vi därifrån väljer att göra av det. Likväl är lycka ingenting som kommer till oss av sig självt, utan vi måste konstant sträva efter den – och kanske framförallt välja den.
Profile Image for Lakhan.
71 reviews4 followers
July 5, 2021
This short book was alright. Mainly expressing happiness can be found in the small things we do in life. One issue (swallow) does not dictate how the rest of your life goes. It is down to you to see what is morally right or wrong.

'He feels pain both when he fails to get pleasure and when he desires.'

'Confidence is the mark of optimism.'
Author 9 books
January 31, 2022
This book has great information and I learned from it many things. For one, I learned how a philosopher thinks. It was difficult to read , I think, because it was translated from Greek and the thinking was a bit complex for me to follow.
Profile Image for Sonstepaul.
276 reviews
Read
October 18, 2022
Not sure that we needed this book. It’s a very expensive copy of a collection of Aristotle “essays” that can be found elsewhere and it’s not edited in such a way as to make it much of an entry point for the uninitiated. A cash grab on my favourite philosopher.
Profile Image for Brandon Woodward.
108 reviews3 followers
April 16, 2023
Quick read on virtue ethics. Some insightful bits, some tedious bits. 3 1/2
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.