Character Quote by Aristotle
“The moral virtues, then, are produced in us neither by nature nor against nature. Nature, indeed, prepares in us the ground for their reception, but their complete formation is the product of habit.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Nicomachean Ethics, 4th century BC
Moral virtues arise from habit, not innate nature, though nature prepares the capacity.
In simple terms: Virtues are learned habits.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate good habits.
Themes
ethics
habit
virtue
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- education
- personal development
- leadership
Key Concepts
moral psychology
character formation
Questions to Reflect On
- What habits shape your character?
- How can you foster virtuous habits?
A Different Perspective
Habits can be hard to change.
![“Yet the age was not so utterly destitute of virtues but that it produced some good examples. [Lat., Non tamen adeo virtutum sterile seculum, ut non et bona exempla prodiderit.]” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bee/tacitus-1552_age_yet-the-age-was-not-so-utterly-destitute_2692783.jpg)
![“[the virtues] cannot exist without Prudence. A proof of this is that everyone, even at the present day, in defining Virtue, after saying what disposition it is [i.e. moral virtue] and specifying the things with which it is concerned, adds that it is a disposition determined by the right principle…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/134/aristotle-78_add_the-virtues-cannot-exist-without-prudenc_3029435.jpg)
![“Rightness in our choice of an end is secured by [Moral] Virtue.” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/498/aristotle-78_character_rightness-in-our-choice-of-an-end-is-sec_2740950.jpg)
![“If then, as we say, good craftsmen look to the mean as they work, and if virtue, like nature, is more accurate and better than any form of art, it will follow that virtue has the quality of hitting the mean. I refer to moral virtue [not intellectual], for this is concerned with emotions and…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/796/aristotle-78_accurate_if-then-as-we-say-good-craftsmen-look-to_695282.jpg)
