Achieve Quote by Plato
“Excellence" is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act "rightly" because we are "excellent", in fact we achieve "excellence" by acting "rightly".”
About This Quote
Source Dialogues: The Republic, 380 BC
Excellence is a practiced skill, achieved by acting rightly, not the cause of right action.
In simple terms: Excellence comes from right actions, not the reverse.
Key Takeaway
Practice right actions to become excellent.
Themes
ethics
skill development
philosophy
Mood
inquisitive
reflective
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- education
- professional training
- personal growth
Key Concepts
virtue ethics
habit formation
Questions to Reflect On
- What defines “right” action?
- How can we measure excellence through practice?
A Different Perspective
Right actions may be hard to define universally.
![“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation: we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have these because we have acted rightly; "these virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions";[69] we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act…” quote by Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a0b/will-durant-948_art_excellence-is-an-art-won-by-training-and_1632239.jpg)
