Character Quote by Aristotle
““Again, of all the things that come to us by nature we first acquire the potentiality and later exhibit the activity (this is plain in the case of the senses; for it was not by often seeing or often hearing that we got these senses, but on the contrary we had them before we used them, and did not come to have them by using them); but the virtues we get by first exercising them, as also happens in the case of the arts as well. For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them, e.g. men become builders by building and lyreplayers by playing the lyre; so too we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle, 4th century BC
Human capacities develop from potential to actual through practice; virtues arise by repeatedly performing the corresponding actions.
In simple terms: We become what we repeatedly do.
Key Takeaway
Practice to develop virtues.
Themes
virtue
practice
development
ethics
habit
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- learning a new skill
- ethical decision making
- personal growth
- training athletes
Key Concepts
Aristotelian ethics
habit formation
moral psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What habits do you need to cultivate?
- How does repeated action shape character?
A Different Perspective
Practice alone does not guarantee mastery without proper guidance.
