10 Essential Aristotle Quotes from Nicomachean Ethics (With Life Lessons for 2026)
Last updated: January 2026
10 Essential Aristotle Quotes from Nicomachean Ethics (With Life Lessons for 2026)
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (c. 350 BCE) is the foundation of virtue ethics. Here are the ten quotes that resonate – all linked to the original text (public domain translation).
1. “Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot.”
Book 1 – MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 1
Lesson: Find your purpose – the ultimate work-life balance advice.
2. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Book 2 – MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 2
Lesson: Build routines – the science of habit formation.
3. “Virtue is a kind of mean between two extremes.”
Book 2 – MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 2
Lesson: The golden mean – balance in everything from diet to social media.
4. “One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.”
Book 1 – MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 1
Lesson: Long-term well-being over quick wins.
5. “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.”
Book 3 – MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 3
Lesson: Face fears first – the foundation of all growth.
6. “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.”
Attributed (common in Aristotle’s writings on friendship)
MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Book 9
Lesson: Deep relationships in a digital world.
7. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Attributed (widely accepted)
MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Full Text
Lesson: Critical thinking in the age of misinformation.
8. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Attributed (common in Aristotle’s philosophy)
MIT Classics – Metaphysics (related context)
Lesson: Teamwork and systems thinking.
9. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
Attributed
MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics
Lesson: Find joy in your craft – the secret to mastery.
10. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
Attributed (widely accepted)
MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics
Lesson: Self-awareness as the foundation of personal growth.
Why an Aristotle Bust Is the Perfect Daily Philosophy Reminder
These words hit harder when the philosopher who wrote them is watching you work. Our 25.5 cm Aristotle bust is inspired by the Glyptothek Munich portrait, available in Antique Bronze or Stone White.
Source
All quotes from the public-domain Jowett translation: MIT Classics – Nicomachean Ethics Full Text
