--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aristotle said, “We are what we…" description: "\"“Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a choice but a habit.”\" — August Turak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/august-turak-50082_excellence_aristotle-said-we-are-what-we-repeatedly_1509069.jpg" --- # Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence… ![“Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a choice but a habit.” quote by August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/august-turak-50082_excellence_aristotle-said-we-are-what-we-repeatedly_1509069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/august-turak-50082_excellence_aristotle-said-we-are-what-we-repeatedly_1509069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/august-turak-50082_excellence_aristotle-said-we-are-what-we-repeatedly_1509069.jpg) > ““Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a choice but a habit.”” [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excellence is not a one‑time decision but a habit formed by repeated actions. **In simple terms:** Excellence comes from habit, not choice. Key Takeaway Build habits that embody excellence. Themes excellence habit discipline Mood motivational practical Type self‑help educational When to use this quote - daily routines - skill practice - goal setting - performance reviews Key Concepts behavioral psychology self‑improvement routine formation Questions to Reflect On - What habit could you start to improve excellence? - How do you sustain positive habits? A Different Perspective Habits can be hard to change without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [As Aristotle said, 'Excellence is a habit.' I would say furthermore that excellence is made constant through the feeling that comes right after one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/as-aristotle-said-excellence-is-a-habit-i-would-say-furthermore-that/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-what-we-repeatedly-do-excellence-then-is-not-an-act-but-a-habit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” ―Aristotle,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-what-we-repeatedly-do-excellence-then-is-not-an-act-but-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think when Aristotle said that man is a political animal, he was really saying that man is a pack animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-barlow/i-think-when-aristotle-said-that-man-is-a-political-animal-he-was/) [Toby Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-barlow/) > [Aristotle said: "Evil brings men together."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/aristotle-said-evil-brings-men-together/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [As Aristotle said, happiness is not a condition that is produced or stands on its own; rather, it is a frame of mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/as-aristotle-said-happiness-is-not-a-condition-that-is-produced-or/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Aristotle said that some minds are not vases to be filled, but fires to be lit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/aristotle-said-that-some-minds-are-not-vases-to-be-filled-but-fires/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [“I see that you have hitherto been one of that herd who, in order to learn how matters such as this take place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-see-that-you-have-hitherto-been-one-of-that-herd-who-in-order-to/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [For all my friends in the media who like quotes, mark this quote down. From this day on I'd like to be known as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/for-all-my-friends-in-the-media-who-like-quotes-mark-this-quote-down/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [“The person who lived an entirely private life, Aristotle said, was either a beast or a god.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-heinrichs/the-person-who-lived-an-entirely-private-life-aristotle-said-was/) [Jay Heinrichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-heinrichs/) > [“was Aristotle who said it: “All human actions have one or more of seven causes,” and then he named them: chance, nature, compulsion, habit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-radziwill/was-aristotle-who-said-it-all-human-actions-have-one-or-more-of-seven/) [Carole Radziwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-radziwill/) > [“...Aristotle said I am a rational animal; I say I am an angel with an incredible capacity for beer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/aristotle-said-i-am-a-rational-animal-i-say-i-am-an-angel-with-an/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness,” Aristotle said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/no-great-mind-has-ever-existed-without-a-touch-of-madness-aristotle/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [Was it Aristotle who said the human soul is composed of reason, will, and desire?” “No, that was Plato. Aristotle and Plato were as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/was-it-aristotle-who-said-the-human-soul-is-composed-of-reason-will/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Aristotle once said, “To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/aristotle-once-said-to-avoid-criticism-say-nothing-do-nothing-and-be/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) ## More by August Turak > [“A reputation for honesty and integrity is one of those “intangible assets” that pays off in ways we can never fully anticipate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/a-reputation-for-honesty-and-integrity-is-one-of-those-intangible/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) > [“the more successfully we forget our selfish motivations, the more successful we become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/the-more-successfully-we-forget-our-selfish-motivations-the-more/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) > [“Trust is the most powerful tool that a leader or organization can have, and that trust is directly proportional to selflessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/trust-is-the-most-powerful-tool-that-a-leader-or-organization-can/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) > [“maximum performance emerges from the peer pressure of a community working toward a common mission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/maximum-performance-emerges-from-the-peer-pressure-of-a-community/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) > [“a big part of your personal and organizational mission is learning how to make better decisions, it is impossible to become too addicted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/a-big-part-of-your-personal-and-organizational-mission-is-learning/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) > [“The best leaders realize that the more they focus on making other people successful, the more successful they become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-turak/the-best-leaders-realize-that-the-more-they-focus-on-making-other/) [August Turak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) [Explore all 7 August Turak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-turak/) ## More Aristotle quotes > [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“This is what Aristotle meant when he said that the object of science is the necessary and the universal; man and not this man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/this-is-what-aristotle-meant-when-he-said-that-the-object-of-science/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [The ancient Greek philosophers were all natural-born dialecticians and Aristotle, the most encyclopaedic intellect among them, had even already analysed the most essential forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/the-ancient-greek-philosophers-were-all-natural-born-dialecticians/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) > [“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. { His teacher was the legendary philosopher Aristotle }”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-am-indebted-to-my-father-for-living-but-to-my-teacher-for-living/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [Aristotle discovered all the half-truths which were necessary to the creation of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/aristotle-discovered-all-the-half-truths-which-were-necessary-to-the/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-bourgeois-thinkers-of-the-eighteenth-century-thus-turned/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“We are what we repeatedly do. —Aristotle”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-navarro/we-are-what-we-repeatedly-do-aristotle/) [Joe Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-navarro/) > [“When the point of education becomes the production of credentials rather than the cultivation of knowledge, it forfeits the motive recognized by Aristotle: "All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/when-the-point-of-education-becomes-the-production-of-credentials/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [The intimate and the infinite are tangled together in this incandescent book, lit by Aristotle’s bright spark of a daughter. Lucid even in nightmare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-endicott/the-intimate-and-the-infinite-are-tangled-together-in-this/) [Marina Endicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-endicott/) > [“Within certain limits terminology is always arbitrary. But the definition of being-true as unveiling, making manifest, is not an arbitrary, private invention of mine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/within-certain-limits-terminology-is-always-arbitrary-but-the/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [“I have this idea that the reason we have dreams is that we're thinking about things that we don't know we're thinking about-and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-have-this-idea-that-the-reason-we-have-dreams-is-that-we-re/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“I guess I was a mystery even to myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-guess-i-was-a-mystery-even-to-myself/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“The void is 'not-being,' and no part of 'what is' is a 'not-being,'; for what 'is' in the strict sense of the term is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-void-is-not-being-and-no-part-of-what-is-is-a-not-being-for-what/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) Browse all 260 Aristotle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. 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