---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true end of tragedy is to purify the…"
description: "\"The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.\" — Aristotle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png"
---

#  The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.

![“The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png)

> “The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.”

[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.

Tragedy serves to cleanse intense emotions, leading to moral purification.

**In simple terms:** Tragedy purifies strong feelings.

Key Takeaway

Embrace tragedy as a path to emotional clarity.

Themes

philosophy psychology emotion purification growth

Mood

reflective philosophical

Type

cathartic inspirational

When to use this quote

- theatrical performance
- personal loss
- emotional crisis

Key Concepts

catharsis passion moral development reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- What emotions need cleansing?
- Can tragedy always lead to growth?

A Different Perspective

Purification may not occur without reflection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passions/) [Purify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purify/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/)

## Related quotes

> [Marriage, children-you never expect it to end in tragedy. Unless you're me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/marriage-children-you-never-expect-it-to-end-in-tragedy-unless-you-re/)

[Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/)

> [“Only in drama does it end with the tragedy; in life it grinds on. Moanday, tearsday, happy days, right through to Shatterdays. And Again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayla-reid/only-in-drama-does-it-end-with-the-tragedy-in-life-it-grinds-on/)

Gayla Reid

> [“There has to be some way this won’t end in tragedy. Why can’t Romeo and Juliet live happily ever after? It’s as if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/there-has-to-be-some-way-this-won-t-end-in-tragedy-why-can-t-romeo/)

[Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/)

> [In the end, the tragedy of Harold Wilson was that you couldn't believe a word he said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/in-the-end-the-tragedy-of-harold-wilson-was-that-you-couldn-t-believe/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [All the tragedies which we can imagine return in the end to the one and only tragedy: the passage of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-the-tragedies-which-we-can-imagine-return-in-the-end-to-the-one/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [All romances end in tragedy. One of the key people in a romance becomes a monster sooner or later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/all-romances-end-in-tragedy-one-of-the-key-people-in-a-romance/)

[David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/)

> [“Emotions that are forced always end in tragedy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/emotions-that-are-forced-always-end-in-tragedy/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“I'd never hated myself more than at that moment. But it was for the best, because a love between us would only end in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-d-never-hated-myself-more-than-at-that-moment-but-it-was-for-the/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [My mother had no end of tragedy in her life. She would make herself get up and take a deep breath and go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/my-mother-had-no-end-of-tragedy-in-her-life-she-would-make-herself/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [Music imitates (represents) the passions or states of the soul, such as gentleness, anger, courage, temperance, and their opposites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/music-imitates-represents-the-passions-or-states-of-the-soul-such-as/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Irrational passions would seem to be as much a part of human nature as is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/irrational-passions-would-seem-to-be-as-much-a-part-of-human-nature/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [“Purify your heart with prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/purify-your-heart-with-prayer/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [It is necessary first to purify the drunken and dissolute worshippers in charge of some of these temples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-is-necessary-first-to-purify-the-drunken-and-dissolute-worshippers/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“If you pray, you purify your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-you-pray-you-purify-your-heart/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

## 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 Ends quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/)

[Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/)

> [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aristotle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the-passions/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ends"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the-passions/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6f/aristotle-78_ends_the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the_2660969.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The true end of tragedy is to purify the passions.” — 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": "The true end of tragedy is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the-passions/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-end-of-tragedy-is-to-purify-the-passions/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
