“The Two Types of Virtue
Since the soul has two parts, virtue is also divided into two types:
1 Intellectual virtues - These involve how we think, reason, and understand. Examples:
◦ Wisdom (knowing deep truths)
◦ Understanding (grasping ideas clearly)
◦ Practical wisdom (making good decisions in life)
2 Moral virtues – These involve actions and habits. Examples:
◦ Generosity (giving freely and fairly)
◦ Self-control (resisting bad desires)
◦ Courage (facing fears wisely)”
-The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg.33
“Virtue is praiseworthy because it leads to good actions. But happiness is above praise because it is the final goal—it’s what we all aim for in life.
This makes happiness the most valuable and complete thing in the world. It is the reason why we do everything else, and it is what makes life truly fulfilling.
Virtue Helps Us Live a Happy Life
Since happiness comes from living a good life, we need to understand virtue—the qualities that make a person good. The job of a political leader is to help people become virtuous and follow good laws. That’s why great lawgivers, like those in Sparta and Crete, focused on teaching virtue.
But what kind of virtue are we talking about? Since happiness is about the soul, we need to focus on virtues of the soul, not just physical abilities or talents.
To understand this, we must first understand the soul itself.”
- The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 31-32
“A Happy Person Stays Happy Despite Life’s Ups and Downs
The best way to answer this question is to go back to what we said earlier: Happiness is about living a life of virtue.
Life is unpredictable, and both good and bad things happen. Some events bring small changes, while others have a bigger impact. But a truly happy person is stable—they don’t change like a chameleon just because something good or bad happens.
• Small misfortunes don’t take away happiness.
• Bad luck can hurt happiness, but a good person faces challenges with strength and grace.
• In tough times, a good person stays noble. They find ways to make the best of their situation. It's like how a good general uses his army wisely or how a skilled shoemaker creates great shoes from what he has.
Yet, there are limits. When someone suffers greatly, like Priam, the Trojan king who lost everything in his old age, happiness might not last.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 30-31
“Happiness comes from living well. That’s why we don’t call animals happy—they don’t have the ability to make good or bad choices. Even young children aren’t truly happy yet because they haven’t had the chance to live wisely. When people call children happy, they usually mean they have good potential for the future.
Also, happiness isn’t just about one good moment—it’s about a whole life. Even the happiest person can face great misfortunes. Take Priam, the king in Greek mythology. He lost everything in his old age. Someone who dies in misery is not truly happy.
So, a good life requires:
1 Virtue – being a good and wise person.
2 A full lifetime – not just short-term success.
3 Some good fortune – while not the most important, it does help.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 28
“It’s better to think happiness comes from effort, not luck. The best things in life should come from wisdom, reason, and nature, not just random chance.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 28
“Even though happiness comes from living well, external things still matter. It’s hard to do good things without the right resources. For example:
• We need money, friends, and influence to do many noble actions.
• Beauty, good family, and children add to a good life, while their absence can make life harder.
• If someone has extreme hardships—like being ugly, lonely, or losing loved ones—it is difficult for them to be happy.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Esition, pg. 28
“Think of the Olympic Games. The strongest or most beautiful athlete doesn’t win the prize—only those who compete and perform well do. In the same way, the happiest people are those who actively live with goodness and wisdom, not just those who have the potential to do so.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26-27
“People have long divided ‘good things’ into three groups:
• External goods – things like money, power, or good looks.
• Goods of the body – health, strength, and beauty.
• Goods of the soul – intelligence, wisdom, and virtue (good character).
The best and most important goods are those of the soul, because they come from within us. Since happiness is about how we live and act, it must be a good of the soul, not just an external thing like wealth or power.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26
