Acting Quote by Aristotle
“We assume therefore that moral virtue is the quality of acting in the best way in relation to pleasures and pains, and that vice is the opposite.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Nicomachean Ethics, Book I
Moral virtue is acting in the best way concerning pleasure and pain; vice is the opposite, reflecting a balance between desire and reason.
In simple terms: Virtue is the right balance of pleasure and pain.
Key Takeaway
Pursue balanced actions for moral good.
Themes
ethics
virtue
pleasure and pain
Mood
thoughtful
instructive
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- personal decision making
- ethical counseling
- education
Key Concepts
eudaimonia
moderation
character development
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify the best way to act?
- When does pleasure conflict with virtue?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex moral dilemmas.
![“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)
![“[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)
