Aristotle quotes
384 – 322 BC · Ancient Greece, 4th century BC · Philosopher, scientist and polymath
About Aristotle
Born in Stagira (384–322 BC), Aristotle produced a vast corpus on logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics and biology. In moral theory he pioneered virtue ethics: moral character is shaped through habituation and the repeated practice of right actions.
Works: Nicomachean Ethics, Metaphysics, Politics, Organon, History of Animals
Quotes
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Source: The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant (1926) · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The exact sentence is a modern paraphrase popularized by Will Durant; it encapsulates Aristotle's claim that moral virtue is formed by habituation.
- What remains uncertain
- Scholars note the wording is not a verbatim quotation from Aristotle and is commonly misattributed to him.
The core insight is that excellence is a lasting disposition formed by repeated practice rather than a single deed. The line speakers often cite compresses Aristotle's ethical claim about habit into a neat slogan, even though that exact wording is a modern paraphrase.