Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way... you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- You become a certain kind of person by repeatedly doing actions of that kind.
- In plain terms
- Doing good things makes you good, doing brave things makes you brave.
- What can you take from it?
- Build character through consistent action.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What habits define you?
- Can action change character?
Another view
Intent and context also matter.
More from Aristotle
Melancholic men are of all others the most witty.
Permalink to quote #115 Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life.
Permalink to quote #117 It is unbecoming for young men to utter maxims.
Permalink to quote #114
Related quotes
Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people - as may be noticed of mos…
Dinah CraikDinah Craik quote #21 It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations.
Walter BagehotWalter Bagehot quote #24 The easy, gentle, and sloping path...is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road.
Michel de MontaigneMichel de Montaigne quote #27