--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not every action or emotion however…" description: "\"Not every action or emotion however admits of the observance of a due mean. Indeed the very names of some directly imply evil, for instance malice, sha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f3/aristotle-78_action_not-every-action-or-emotion-however-admi_1550186.png" --- # Not every action or emotion however admits of the… ![“Not every action or emotion however admits of the observance of a due mean. Indeed the very names of some directly imply evil, for instance malice, shamelessness, envy, and, of actions, adultery, theft, murder. All these and similar actions and feelings are blamed as being bad in themselves; it is…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f3/aristotle-78_action_not-every-action-or-emotion-however-admi_1550186.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f3/aristotle-78_action_not-every-action-or-emotion-however-admi_1550186.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f3/aristotle-78_action_not-every-action-or-emotion-however-admi_1550186.png) > “Not every action or emotion however admits of the observance of a due mean. Indeed the very names of some directly imply evil, for instance malice, shamelessness, envy, and, of actions, adultery, theft, murder. All these and similar actions and feelings are blamed as being bad in themselves; it is not the excess or deficiency of them that we blame. It is impossible therefore ever to go right in regard to them - one must always be wrong.” [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. Moral judgments label actions and emotions as inherently bad, ignoring context, making absolute judgments impossible. **In simple terms:** Moral labels oversimplify complex actions. Key Takeaway Recognize nuance in ethical evaluations. Themes ethics morality human behavior Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - legal judgments - personal decisions - social policy - education Key Concepts moral absolutism contextual ethics philosophical analysis Questions to Reflect On - When is it appropriate to label an action bad? - How can context change moral assessment? A Different Perspective Absolute judgments can ignore cultural differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Actions Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actions-feelings-2248557/) [Adultery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adultery/) [Being bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-bad/) [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Deficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiency/) [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feelings Blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-blamed-5792061/) [Imply Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imply-evil-5792062/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Observance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observance/) [Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard/) [Regard Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard-wrong-4913664/) [Theft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theft/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [At school he had done things which had formerly seemed to him very horrid and made him feel disgusted with himself when he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/at-school-he-had-done-things-which-had-formerly-seemed-to-him-very/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“Words are a great influence in actions, feelings, and simply just the meaning behind it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yi/words-are-a-great-influence-in-actions-feelings-and-simply-just-the/) [Yi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yi/) > [I'm a great poet. 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