Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas Quotes

“Aristotle states that only one thing could justify monarchy, and that was if the virtue of the king and his family were greater than the virtue of the rest of the citizens put together. Tactfully,”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“If, in fact, it be supposed that the universal has a separate existence, it is not the demonstration which is to be blamed, but the listener who misunderstands it.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Of the former character is a term predicated of other terms essentially not accidentally. By 'accidentally' I mean after the manner in which we sometimes say 'that white thing is a man,' which is not the same as when we say 'the man is white.' In the latter case the man is not white because he is something else, but simply because he is man; in the former proposition whiteness is predicated as an accidental attribute of the man.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“but in order to draw universally true inferences one should look to that which really is, not that which is thought to be.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Ignorance is the result of a defect in sense. Universals can only be attained by the help of Induction. Induction however depends on Sensation, the objects of which are particulars, of which no science is possible. Consequently Induction is necessary for the conversion of Sensation into Scientific knowledge.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“It should also be known, that it often happens that a free state, where the supreme power is in the laws, may not be democratic, and yet in consequence of the established manners and customs of the people, may be governed as if it was; so, on the other hand, where the laws may countenance a more democratic form of government, these may make the state inclining to an oligarchy; and this chiefly happens when there has been any alteration in the government; for the people do not easily change, but love their own ancient customs; and it is by small degrees only that one thing takes place of another; so that the ancient laws will remain, while the power will be in the hands of those who have brought about a revolution in the state.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“This problem arises from the imperfection of human nature, apparent in rulers as well as in ruled, and if the principle which attempts to solve it be admitted as a principle of importance in the formation of the best constitution, then the starting-point of politics will be man's actual imperfection, not his ideal nature. Instead, then, of beginning with a state which would express man's ideal nature, and adapting it as well as may be to man's actual shortcomings from that ideal, we must recognise that the state and all political machinery are as much the expression of man's weakness as of his ideal possibilities.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“The right thing, however, is in the Characters just as in the incidents of the play to endeavour always after the necessary or the probable; so that whenever such-and-such a personage says or does such-and-such a thing, it shall be the probable or necessary outcome of his character;”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“In support of this claim they point to the words 'comedy' and 'drama'. Their word for the outlying hamlets, they say, is comae, whereas Athenians call them demes — thus assuming that comedians got the name not from their comoe or revels, but from their strolling from hamlet to hamlet, lack of appreciation keeping them out of the city. Their word also for 'to act', they say, is dran, whereas Athenians use prattein.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“It is plain then that the wicked man cannot be in the position of a friend even towards himself, because he has in himself nothing which can excite the sentiment of Friendship. If then to be thus is exceedingly wretched it is a man's duty to flee from wickedness with all his might and to strive to be good, because thus may he be friends with himself and may come to be a friend to another.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“On the other hand, because fortune is needed as an addition, some hold good fortune to be identical with Happiness: which it is not, for even this in excess is a hindrance, and perhaps then has no right to be called good fortune since it is good only in so far as it contributes to Happiness.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Or, in one word, the habits are produced from the acts of working like to them: and so what we have to do is to give a certain character to these particular acts, because the habits formed correspond to the differences of these.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“So too then is it with the Virtues: for by acting in the various relations in which we are thrown with our fellow men, we come to be, some just, some unjust: and by acting in dangerous positions and being habituated to feel fear or confidence, we come to be, some brave, others cowards.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“But of Reason this too does evidently partake, as we have said: for instance, in the man of self-control it obeys Reason: and perhaps in the man of perfected self-mastery, or the brave man, it is yet more obedient; in them it agrees entirely with the Reason.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“For to constitute Happiness, there must be, as we have said, complete virtue and a complete life: for many changes and chances of all kinds arise during a life, and he who is most prosperous may become involved in great misfortunes in his old age, as in the heroic poems the tale is told of Priam: but the man who has experienced such fortune and died in wretchedness, no man calls happy. Are we then to call no man happy while he lives, and, as Solon would have us, look to the end? And again, if we are to maintain this position, is a man then happy when he is dead? or is not this a complete absurdity, specially in us who say Happiness is a working of a certain kind?”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“He is best of all who of himself conceiveth all things; Good again is he too who can adopt a good suggestion; But whoso neither of himself conceiveth nor hearing from another Layeth it to heart;--he is a useless man.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Further there is the question which is hardest of all and most perplexing, whether unity and being, as the Pythagoreans and Plato said, are not attributes of something else but the substance of existing things, or this is not the case, but the substratum is something else,-as Empedocles says, love; as some one else says, fire; while another says water or air.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“And knowledge becomes impossible; for how can one apprehend things that are infinite in this way? For this is not like the case of the line, to whose divisibility there is no stop, but which we cannot think if we do not make a stop (for which reason one who is tracing the infinitely divisible line cannot be counting the possibilities of section), but the whole line also must be apprehended by something in us that does not move from part to part.-Again, nothing infinite can exist; and if it could, at least the notion of infinity is not infinite.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Sagacity is a rapid perception of the middle term, or cause, resulting from a consideration of the major and minor terms.
Sagacity is a faculty for hitting upon the middle term in an imperceptible moment of time.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Science depends on the Necessary, Opinion on the Contingent. Opinion may attain to immediate propositions, but as these are not necessary, Opinion is uncertain and can never be applied to the same object as Science.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“Previous knowledge is required for all scientific studies or methods of instruction. Examples from Mathematics, Dialectic and Rhetoric. Previous knowledge as variously expressed in theses concerning either the existence of a thing or the meaning of the word denoting it. Learning consists in the conversion of universal into particular knowledge.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“In democracies of the purest form they pursue a method which is contrary to their welfare; the reason of which is, that they define liberty wrong: now, there are two things which seem to be the objects of a democracy, that the people in general should possess the supreme power, and all enjoy freedom; for that which is just seems to be equal, and what the people think equal, that is a law: now, their freedom and equality consists in every one's doing what they please: that is in such a democracy every one may live as he likes; "as his inclination guides," in the words of Euripides: but this is wrong, for no one ought to think it slavery to live in subjection to government, but protection.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“It is also an error in democracies for the demagogues to endeavour to make the common people superior to the laws; and thus by setting them at variance with the rich, dividing one city into two; whereas they ought rather to speak in favour of the rich.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“In an oligarchy it is necessary to take great care of the poor, and allot them public employments which are gainful; and, if any of the rich insult them, to let their punishment be severer than if they insulted one of their own rank;”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“for to perceive an evil at its very first approach is not the lot of every one, but of the politician.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“We ought now to inquire into those events which will arise from these causes in every species of government. Democracies will be most subject to revolutions from the dishonesty of their demagogues; for partly, by informing against men of property, they induce them to join together through self-defence, for a common fear will make the greatest enemies unite; and partly by setting the common people against them: and this is what any one may continually see practised in many states.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“now there are three things in all states which a careful legislator ought well to consider, which are of great consequence to all, and which properly attended to the state must necessarily be happy; and according to the variation of which the one will differ from the other. The first of these is the [1298a] public assembly; the second the officers of the state, that is, who they ought to be, and with what power they should be entrusted, and in what manner they should be appointed; the third, the judicial department.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“But now there is perpetual enmity between the Lacedaemonians and all their neighbours, the Argives, the Messenians, and the Arcadians. Their slaves also first revolted from the Thessalians while they were engaged in wars with their neighbours the Acheans, the Perrabeans, and the Magnesians.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“For a law derives all its strength from custom, and this requires long time to establish; so that, to make it an easy matter to pass from the established laws to other new ones, is to weaken the power of laws. Besides, here is another question; if the laws are to be altered, are they all to be altered, and in every goverment or not, and whether at the pleasure of one person or many? all which particulars will make a great difference; for which reason we will at present drop the inquiry, to pursue it at some other time.”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas

“We proceed next to consider in what manner property should be regulated in a state which is formed after the most perfect mode of government, whether it should be common or not;”
― Aristotle, Complete Works, Historical Background, and Modern Interpretation of Aristotle's Ideas