--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And so the good man ought to be…" description: "\"“And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by doing what is noble he will have advantage himself and will do good to others: but the bad man..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png" --- # And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by… ![“And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by doing what is noble he will have advantage himself and will do good to others: but the bad man ought not to be, because he will harm himself and his neighbours by following low and evil passions. In the case of the bad man, what he ought to…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png) > ““And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by doing what is noble he will have advantage himself and will do good to others: but the bad man ought not to be, because he will harm himself and his neighbours by following low and evil passions. In the case of the bad man, what he ought to do and what he does are at variance, but the good man does what he ought to do, because all Intellect chooses what is best for itself and the good man puts himself under the direction of Intellect.”” [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aristotle argues that self‑love is virtuous when guided by intellect, while self‑destructive passions harm both self and community. **In simple terms:** Good self‑love follows reason; bad self‑love follows vice. Key Takeaway Cultivate rational self‑respect. Themes virtue self‑love intellect ethics human nature Mood thoughtful didactic balanced Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - education - community building Key Concepts philosophy moral psychology rationalism Questions to Reflect On - What does rational self‑love look like in daily life? - How can we prevent self‑interest from harming others? A Different Perspective Self‑love can become selfishness if not balanced with communal good. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Self loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-loving/) ## Related quotes > [“All of our language reflects this. If you’re empty, you need to fulfill yourself. If you’re stressed, learn how to take care of yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/all-of-our-language-reflects-this-if-you-re-empty-you-need-to-fulfill/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [There is one antidote for evil passions: the purification of our souls which takes place through the mystery of godliness. The chief act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nyssa/there-is-one-antidote-for-evil-passions-the-purification-of-our-souls/) [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nyssa/) > [Ideas and principles that do harm are as a rule, though not always, cloaks for evil passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/ideas-and-principles-that-do-harm-are-as-a-rule-though-not-always/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Anger, lust and such other evil passions raging in the heart are the real untouchables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/anger-lust-and-such-other-evil-passions-raging-in-the-heart-are-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It makes no difference whether a good man has defrauded a bad man, or a bad man defrauded a good man, or whether a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-makes-no-difference-whether-a-good-man-has-defrauded-a-bad-man-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A bad man can do a million times more harm than a beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/a-bad-man-can-do-a-million-times-more-harm-than-a-beast/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. And he who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/hence-it-is-evident-that-the-state-is-a-creation-of-nature-and-that/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Therefore the good man ought to be a lover of self, since he will then both benefit himself by acting nobly and aid his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/therefore-the-good-man-ought-to-be-a-lover-of-self-since-he-will-then/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The bad man is continually at war with, and in opposition to, himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-bad-man-is-continually-at-war-with-and-in-opposition-to-himself/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/i-say-that-the-most-liberating-thing-about-beauty-is-realizing-that/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-not-bound-to-win-but-i-am-bound-to-be-true/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“No one can ever love us quite so much as we love ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/no-one-can-ever-love-us-quite-so-much-as-we-love-ourselves/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/my-willingness-to-be-intimate-with-my-own-deep-feelings-creates-the/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/you-don-t-need-to-be-accepted-by-others-you-need-to-accept-yourself/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [I hate my self for loving you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananditha-krishna/i-hate-my-self-for-loving-you/) [Ananditha Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananditha-krishna/) ## More by Aristotle > [The knowledge of the soul admittedly contributes greatly to the advance of truth in general, and, above all, to our understanding of Nature, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-knowledge-of-the-soul-admittedly-contributes-greatly-to-the/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Although it may be difficult in theory to know what is just and equal, the practical difficulty of inducing those to forbear who can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/although-it-may-be-difficult-in-theory-to-know-what-is-just-and-equal/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-forms-of-government-therefore-are-those-in-which-the-one-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All men by nature desire to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-men-by-nature-desire-to-know/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-persons-ought-to-endeavor-to-follow-what-is-right-and-not-what-is/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The man who confers a favour would rather not be repaid in the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-man-who-confers-a-favour-would-rather-not-be-repaid-in-the-same/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The mother of revolution and crime is poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-mother-of-revolution-and-crime-is-poverty/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-learn-is-a-natural-pleasure-not-confined-to-philosophers-but/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-extremes-each-of-which-is-a-vice/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) [Explore all 1,545 Aristotle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## More Bad man quotes > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/) [Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Terrorism is obviously on everybody's mind. The other day my son says to me, 'Daddy, how come the bad men hate us?' How sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/terrorism-is-obviously-on-everybody-s-mind-the-other-day-my-son-says/) [Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [What is a good man? Simply one whose life is useful to the world. And a bad man is simply one whose life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-zhao/what-is-a-good-man-simply-one-whose-life-is-useful-to-the-world-and-a/) Zhang Zhao > [~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners… The one thing you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-m-strict-about-manners-i-think-that-kids-have-a-horrible-time-with/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“As it happens, I’m a terrible dancer. Bears are simply not made for dancing. We’re much better at sitting and sleeping and singing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-macleod/as-it-happens-i-m-a-terrible-dancer-bears-are-simply-not-made-for/) [Doug MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-macleod/) > [The Gospel of Jesus Christ can make bad men good and good men better, can alter human nature, and can change human lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ-can-make-bad-men-good-and-good-men-better/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [This self-congratulatory notion Americans have that their country is Number One is borne of ignorance and bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/this-self-congratulatory-notion-americans-have-that-their-country-is/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-can-learn-a-lot-about-good-management-by-working-under-someone/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) Browse all 410 Bad man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by doing what is noble he will have advantage himself and will do good to others: but the bad man ought not to be, because he will harm himself and his neighbours by following low and evil passions. In the case of the bad man, what he ought to do and what he does are at variance, but the good man does what he ought to do, because all Intellect chooses what is best for itself and the good man puts himself under the direction of Intellect.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aristotle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-loving-because-by-doing-what-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-loving-because-by-doing-what-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/aristotle-78_bad-man_and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-lov_1628572.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And so the good man ought to be Self-loving: because by doing what is noble he will have advantage himself…” — Aristotle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aristotle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And so the good man ought...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-loving-because-by-doing-what-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/and-so-the-good-man-ought-to-be-self-loving-because-by-doing-what-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```