Quote of the day: Popular Greek philosopher Aristotle is known for his observations and findings on varied subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, politics and arts. Plato was Aristotle’s teacher, and later guided Alexander the Great.
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” — Aristotle
Meaning of the quote
Add Zee News as a Preferred Source
Aristotle in this quote wants to stress on the fact that that your excellence in life is not by accident, and is only the result of your choices. It is not based on your random occurrence but a deliberate choice of action which determines the success you achieve. Excellence is a choice, and not a matter of chance or luck.
Who was Aristotle?
Born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period – Aristotle is considered to be an ancient Greek philosopher whose writings span over a wide variety of subjects including natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts.
He was the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum in Athens, where he followed the Aristotelian tradition setting the groundwork for the development of modern science. Aristotle’s views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship.
After Plato (his mentor) died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC.
Aristotle contributed to almost every field of human knowledge then in existence, and was the founder of many new fields. According to the philosopher Bryan Magee, “it is doubtful whether any human being has ever known as much as he did”.
Aristotle has been regarded as the first scientist.
Scholar Taneli Kukkonen writes that “in the best 20th-century scholarship Aristotle comes alive as a thinker wrestling with the full weight of the Greek philosophical tradition.”
Some of Aristotle’s students included Aristoxenus, Dicaearchus, Demetrius of Phalerum, Eudemos of Rhodes, Harpalus, Hephaestion, Mnason of Phocis, Nicomachus, and Theophrastus.
