--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are three things that are the…" description: "\"There are three things that are the motives of choice and three that are the motives of avoidance; namely, the noble, the expedient, and the pleasant, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/aristotle-78_animal_there-are-three-things-that-are-the-moti_2138608.png" --- # There are three things that are the motives of choice and… ![“There are three things that are the motives of choice and three that are the motives of avoidance; namely, the noble, the expedient, and the pleasant, and their opposites, the base, the harmful, and the painful. Now in respect of all these the good man is likely to go right and the bad to go…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/aristotle-78_animal_there-are-three-things-that-are-the-moti_2138608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/aristotle-78_animal_there-are-three-things-that-are-the-moti_2138608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/aristotle-78_animal_there-are-three-things-that-are-the-moti_2138608.png) > “There are three things that are the motives of choice and three that are the motives of avoidance; namely, the noble, the expedient, and the pleasant, and their opposites, the base, the harmful, and the painful. Now in respect of all these the good man is likely to go right and the bad to go wrong, but especially in respect of pleasure; for pleasure is common to man with the lower animals, and also it is a concomitant of all the objects of choice, since both the noble and the expedient appear to us pleasant.” [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. Human actions are driven by motives of nobility, expedience, pleasure, and their opposites, guiding moral choices. **In simple terms:** Choices stem from noble, practical, or pleasant motives. Key Takeaway Recognize underlying motives. Themes ethics philosophy human nature Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical didactic When to use this quote - personal decisions - policy making - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts virtue ethics motivation theory Questions to Reflect On - What motives dominate your decisions? - How do you balance noble and pleasant desires? A Different Perspective Motives can conflict, making moral clarity difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Avoidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoidance/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choice Motives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-motives-4442067/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Motives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motives/) [Motives Avoidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motives-avoidance-4442069/) [Motives Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motives-choice-4442066/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful/) [Pleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasant/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Things Motives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-motives-4442068/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Three things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-things/) ## Related quotes > [Homelessness is the fundamental idea of salvation in Jainism. 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